Stronger action to tackle 'killer' use of phones while driving urged
Picture: Keith Be To Should Detect Sam Punish Said Technology Used Ceo Safety Phone Authority Road Arkins Waide Use And
Stronger action is needed to tackle the "killer" use of mobile phones while driving, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
The Oireachtas transport committee on Wednesday heard from representatives of the Road Safety Authority (RSA), with CEO Sam Waide saying that one-in-five people look at their phone while driving and one in ten admit to speaking on a phone held in their hand while driving, behaviours he said were not as low-risk as the public perceives.
Mr Waide told the committee that they should "encourage their communities" to become more involved in road safety, but that politicians should support legislation to tackle the "killer behaviours".
"Trialling camera technology that uses cameras — not just for speeding but also for not wearing seat belts and using mobile phones while driving.
"We completely and absolutely support that technology and the implementation of that technology in Ireland," Mr Waide said.
"If legislation is required then my view, and RSA view, is that we should accelerate that technology in terms of detecting mobile phone use because it is at levels — and our surveys have not quantified the sheer scale of it — it's killer behaviour."
Mr Waide said that these "killer behaviours sit at the heart" of most road traffic collisions.
He said that technology should be used to detect and punish phone use.
His colleague Michael Rowland, the RSA's head of research, said that 23% of drivers and 21% of passengers are not wearing seatbelts on the road.
He said a quarter of people killed on Irish roads last year were not wearing seatbelts.
Mr Rowland said that phone use is widespread.
"I spoke to a truck driver, and obviously he is up high and he sees people in cars, and he regularly sees people driving with their knees on their steering wheel while sending text messages. He says this is not the odd time, it's regular," Mr Rowland said.
"People just seem to have this notion that they can live a separate life and that driving is just an accidental thing that they are doing, whereas it requires our full attention."
In a later session, trade union Forsa told the committee that 40 additional permanent driver tester roles are needed at the RSA.
Fórsa official Ruairí Creaney told the committee about the experience of precarious working conditions for some driver testers at the RSA, and said that this is impacting the service and adding to the waiting lists for driving tests, currently up to 24 weeks.