Skip to main content

FIA launches road safety initiative: #ParkYourPhone when on the road

European MEP Dieter Liebrech Koch, FIA Region I and its member Clubs are launching #ParkYourPhone, a campaign to encourage responsible smartphone use in traffic. The campaign will be rolled out across Europe the Middle East and Africa by FIA Clubs in autumn 2017. MEP Koch said that while Europe has done much to improve safety, be it on technical improvements of the vehicles, better training for road users or infrastructure, new technologies, such as smart phones and tablets, bring about new challenges.
September 28, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
European MEP Dieter Liebrech Koch, 8054 FIA Region I and its member Clubs are launching #ParkYourPhone, a campaign to encourage responsible smartphone use in traffic. The campaign will be rolled out across Europe the Middle East and Africa by FIA Clubs in autumn 2017.


MEP Koch said that while Europe has done much to improve safety, be it on technical improvements of the vehicles, better training for road users or infrastructure, new technologies, such as smart phones and tablets, bring about new challenges.

European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, supported FIA Region 1’s initiative, saying, “With smartphones becoming more popular than ever, it seems increasingly difficult to take our eyes off the screen. In fact, distracted driving is the cause of a growing number of road deaths and injuries. It is vital that we keep our attention on the road. As Transport Commissioner, road safety is one of my ongoing priorities. A simple way to reduce accidents is to keep your eyes on the road and off your smartphone.”

FIA President and UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for road safety, Jean Todt, said “Road safety is among my top priorities. Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians need to understand the dangers of using smartphones in traffic. To combat the 3,500 lives lost every day in road accidents, I urge all road users to park their phones when they are in traffic.”

FIA Region I director general, Laurianne Krid, said: “There are many ways to be active in traffic, from a young to an older age. FIA Region I and its member Clubs believe that lifelong learning is key to ensure the safest roads. This campaign reminds us of the many distractions that cross our path on a daily basis and encourages everyone to #ParkYourPhone and remain focussed on the road while in traffic.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IBTTA Summit: satellite tolling is the future
    August 15, 2019
    IBTTA members met in Florida to consider the technological changes that will impact their businesses – including satellite tolling. Colin Sowman reports from Orlando Over decades, the technology employed in toll collection has been honed to near perfection – automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are easily within a couple of per cent of infallibility even at highway speeds. However, technical innovations beyond the confines of the toll road cannot b
  • Volvo standardises anti-collision system
    July 23, 2014
    Volvo will unveil ‘the most comprehensive and technologically sophisticated standard safety package available in the automotive industry’ next month when it launches its all-new XC90 all-wheel drive SUV. The standard safety package will include an auto brake at intersection capability and run-off road protection. The auto brake at intersection function automatically applies the brakes if the driver turns in front of an oncoming car. On-board systems detect a potential crash and automatically apply the br
  • Polarised imaging gives enforcement clarity
    February 6, 2020
    Polarised imaging advances have finally allowed ITS technology to catch up with previously unenforceable international bans on smoking in cars, says Sony’s Stephane Clauss
  • Diversity dominates ITS recruitment workshop
    October 27, 2016
    ITS offers more interesting and engaging careers than other engineering disciplines because it is less component-based and gives more importance to human factors and the integration of other domains. So says the report from a multinational recruitment stakeholder workshop staged by ITS(UK) at the 2016 ITS in Europe Congress.