TRANSPORT Minister Humza Yousaf has launched an A9 Safety Group’s campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of looking at or using a mobile phone while driving.
The Looks Can Kill campaign highlights the fact that drivers are four times more likely to crash if they use their phone while driving.
The group, as part of a continuing drive to reduce casualties on the route, insists that a number of collisions over the past two years may have been caused by a high degree of fatigue or distraction.
Yousaf said that this, along with new research revealing that social media and in-car technology, are a major distraction to Scottish drivers, continues to highlight the significant safety concerns around this issue.
The campaign, which will run across radio, online and at public areas along the A9 route, will highlight the clear dangers of both looking at their phone and receiving or making calls while driving.
Yousaf said: “The consequences of using mobile phones for either making calls or for social media are all too apparent. The work being carried out by the A9 Safety Group clearly indicates that drivers are putting both themselves and others at significant risk with this activity.
“The Scottish Government is committed, through Scotland’s Road Safety Framework, to achieving safer road travel in Scotland.
“I have said many times before that one death on Scotland’s roads is one too many and we will continue to try to make the roads as safe as they possibly can be for all road users.
“Any activity which takes a driver’s concentration away from the driving task is potentially dangerous and we encourage everyone to acknowledge driving as a skill which requires concentration and judgement. I urge all drivers to avoid using mobile phones when behind the wheel.”
The campaign research revealed that 30 per cent of people have seen someone using social media while driving and one in five people have witnessed selfies being taken behind the wheel.
Sixty-eight per cent of Scots have noticed someone texting behind the wheel and a massive 89 per cent have seen drivers talking on their phones.
Michael McDonnell, A9 Safety Group and director of Road Safety Scotland, said: “We hope the new campaign will encourage drivers to make sure they plan a sufficient number of stops to use their mobile phones if necessary, rather than risk being distracted at the wheel.
Chief Inspector Louise Blakelock of Police Scotland added: “Mobile phone use continues to be a concern for Police Scotland.”
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