Clip up the phone for Road Safety Week?

Queenslanders are being asked to chat about the dangers of driver distraction as part of this year’s Road Safety Week.

Acting Main Roads and Road Safety Minister Steven Miles said young people were particularly prone to becoming distracted behind the wheel, with almost nine out of ten admitting to using their phone while driving.

“Mobile phone use in the car is a widespread and ongoing issue, and young people are the highest at risk group for illegal mobile phone use,” he said.

“Queensland young people aged 16-24 account for 13.7 per cent of all Queensland licence holders but  alarmingly, they represent 20.8 per cent of drivers involved in serious crashes on our roads.”

Mr Miles said at 80km/h, if you were to look down at your phone for just two seconds you would travel blind for nearly 50m.

“While talking about and pledging to improve a single behaviour might seem like a small thing to do, collectively it could make a big difference,” he said.
“In 2016, driver distraction and inattention contributed to 28 fatalities on Queensland roads.

“During the same period, 22,269 driver distraction offences were committed.

“The true extent to which mobile phones and other distractions contribute to road crashes is likely to be higher because drivers may not admit to police they were distracted at the time of the crash. Using your phone while driving makes you four times more likely to have a serious crash.

“When you next hop in the car, remind your kids that mobile phones and driving don’t mix and set an example by popping your phone in the glove box.”

Mr Miles said the Palaszczuk Government’s recent “Chin Up” campaign, which used videos made by young people for young people to discourage mobile phone use while driving had been an incredible success.

At its conclusion, The ‘Chin up, phone down’ message had reached nearly four million people online.

“We were confident this campaign would resonate with the target audience and these results show the campaign’s great success,” he said.

“We really hope this campaign will continue to encourage awareness about the dangers of driver distraction and the need to focus on the road at all times, increasing safety for all road users.”

In addition to distraction, today’s Road Safety Week theme also focuses on the need to remind people to wear seatbelts, and to ensure children are strapped in before turning on the ignition.

“We’re asking Queenslanders to make a road safety pledge, attend an event or talk to their friends and family about the risks of distracted driving and the importance of wearing seatbelts,” Mr Miles said.

“Kids aged up to seven years must use a child restraint suitable for their age and when you’re putting on seatbelts, remind your kids about the importance of buckling up.”
Queensland Road Safety Week (21-25 August) is Australia’s only state-wide initiative that encourages the community to be directly involved in making our roads safer.

Mr Miles said it was important to emphasise that Queensland Road Safety Week was about encouraging all Queenslanders to challenge the status quo.

“Let’s stop accepting death and serious injury as the price we pay for using our roads,” he said.

“Road Safety Week is an important way to remind people that they have the power to make our roads safer and help reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on our roads.”

Queenslanders are being asked to make a pledge and start a conversation about distracted driving, seatbelts and child restraints using topics such as:

• Modelling safe road user behaviour to your kids.
• Switching your phone to silent or flight mode as soon as you get behind the wheel.
• Ensuring your kids are using the appropriate child restraint.
• Making sure all passengers are buckled up before moving your vehicle.
Queenslanders are encouraged to get involved in Road Safety Week by:
• Going to www.facebook.com/JoinTheDrive, uploading the Speak Up for Road Safety filter frame onto their profile picture and making a road safety pledge with the #SpeakUpSelfie hashtag.
• Visiting www.jointhedrive.qld.gov.au/road-safety-week for event information and resources.
Queensland Road Safety Week is a Queensland Government initiative, delivered in partnership by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and the Queensland Police Service.

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