Lytx welcomes transport secretary’s focus on distracted driving

Driver safety and compliance solutions specialist Lytx Europe has welcomed news that the UK transport secretary is considering a number of options to combat distracted driving. Patrick McLoughlin has suggested that the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving could be doubled from the current three points, while a government spokesman said "Using a mobile phone while driving is extremely dangerous which is why we are considering a number of options to deter drivers." Julie Townsend, deputy chief
July 18, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

Driver safety and compliance solutions specialist 7806 Lytx Europe has welcomed news that the UK transport secretary is considering a number of options to combat distracted driving.

Patrick McLoughlin has suggested that the penalty for using a mobile phone while driving could be doubled from the current three points, while a government spokesman said "Using a mobile phone while driving is extremely dangerous which is why we are considering a number of options to deter drivers."

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of road safety charity 4235 Brake, said she would welcome the proposal should it ever become legislation, saying she hoped the government will implement it.

Lytx suggests consuming food and drink while driving should also be considered in the distracted driving discussion and is encouraging ministers reviewing current deterrents to consider ways to deter eating and drinking behind the wheel. This is based on Lytx data which shows that drivers who eat and drink while driving are 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a collision than those who don’t.

The data shows that eating and drinking while driving is nearly as dangerous as using a mobile device, which makes drivers 4.7 times more likely to be involved in a collision.

Lytx Europe general manager Paul Jones said: “We know that distracted driving is a significant factor in vehicle collisions. Our predictive analytics show that distractions, which include eating and drinking and use of mobile devices, are among the leading causes of collisions. The message is to remove all distractions and focus on driving safely. Getting into a collision and potentially causing serious injury simply isn’t worth it.

“Over 1,700 people were killed and more than 180,000 people were injured on UK roads in 2013, according to the most recent 1837 Department for Transport figures. The fact is that the majority of these incidents are due to human error and are avoidable. We’re dedicated to using our technology to help professional drivers adopt safer driving habits and measurably reduce the risk that is happening on our roads every day.”

Related Content

  • New research finds distracted driving on the rise on I-95
    May 12, 2014
    Transurban-Fluor and AAA Mid-Atlantic have released the second annual report on distracted drivers on I-95 in Northern Virginia, which found that despite major construction, distracted driving is a growing problem on the heavily travelled corridor. The report, part of the Orange Cones, No Phones campaign focused on reducing distracted driving in the 95 Express Lanes construction zone, found that the number of frequent I-95 drivers likely to use their cell phone while driving has increased from 56 percent i
    Read More
  • Deaths up and road safety spending down in England
    July 12, 2012
    Fifty local councils in England saw more than a ten per cent increase in killed and seriously injured (KSI) crash rates between 2010 and 2011, according to an Institute for Advanced Motorists (IAM) analysis of the new road accident figures. The biggest increases in KSI numbers were in St Helens – 62 per cent, Portsmouth – 57 per cent, Stoke on Trent – 57 per cent, and Coventry – 51 per cent. A further 76 councils saw increases in the KSI rate above the national average of two per cent.
    Read More
  • TfL to trial new bus sensor technology
    August 1, 2014
    Transport for London (TfL) is to trial detection software to enhance bus driver awareness of pedestrians and cyclists. The six-week trial will start later this month as part of a continued drive to improve road safety in the capital. Four buses will be fitted with brand new pedestrian and cyclist detection software which directly alerts bus drivers when pedestrians and cyclists are moving close to their vehicles, helping to reduce collisions. TfL is trialling two systems, CycleEye from Fusion Processi
    Read More
  • Autonomous driving – what can we really expect?
    June 6, 2016
    Dave Marples of Technolution BV looks beyond the hype to the practical implementation of autonomous vehicles. Having looked at the development of this sector for some time, I am concerned about the current state of autonomous driving development as engineering (and marketing) have run way ahead of the wider systemic, and legislative, requirements to support an autonomous future.
    Read More

Highlighted Content