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.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Transport academics call for road user charging
    January 22, 2013
    In an open letter to UK Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, thirty-two leading transport academics have said that in order to cut emissions and tackle congestion the government should introduce pay as you drive road charging. The academics argue that traffic will increase with further investment in the road network. They say smart demand management measures need to be accelerated, while cities are not equipped for further road traffic growth. The previous government considered pay as you go road chargin
    Read More
  • ETSC welcomes EU plans for safer cars, vans and lorries
    December 20, 2016
    The European Commission has published a list of 19 lifesaving safety technologies that could be made mandatory on new vehicles in the next update of EU vehicle safety rules expected next year. The European Transport Safety Council (ETCS) welcomes the announcement but says several critical areas for action are missing, and the proposed timescale is far too long considering that most of the technologies are already available. ETSC says 26,000 people die on European Union roads annually, with at least
    Read More
  • Report supports calls for EU target to reduce serious road injuries
    November 24, 2016
    Newly-published research carried out for the European Commission recommends that the EU should set a target to reduce the number of people seriously injured in road collisions. The report, Study on Serious Road Traffic Injuries in the EU, claims that 135,000 people were seriously injured on European roads in 2014, according to figures published by the European Commission for the first time in April. While the number of deaths on European roads has fallen dramatically over the last decade, serious injuri
    Read More
  • Give offending drivers credit for good behaviour
    July 27, 2012
    Andrew Rooke and Dave Marples of Technolution B.V. take a look at what can be done to address a long-standing problem: the all-or-nothing approach of automated enforcement. To start, a brief history of speeding: on 14 November 1896, the first Veteran Car Run was staged in England from London to Brighton. It was organised to celebrate new British legislation to raise the maximum speed of vehicles from four to 14mph while also removing the need for a person waving a red flag to walk in front of the car and wa
    Read More

Highlighted Content