These days technology is a massive part of our everyday lives. With phones being our main form of communication we are heavily dependent on them every day. This can prove difficult when we can’t use them at all whilst driving. I see too many people while I’m giving lessons in either; Newbury, Thatcham or Basingstoke. Whether it’s letting someone know where you are, or just replying to a text message or answering a call, these glances at a phone can be so quick yet have such devastating consequences and under no circumstances are more important than the driver and other drivers safety on the road.
So many people use their phones whilst driving and probably each have their own excuse. However these people are really just lucky that they haven’t caused an accident while using their phone. There are people that have caused accidents because of phone use and have been shamed and called out by a lot of people who have most likely used their phones themselves whilst behind the wheel. But they have avoided an accident so therefore are not looked upon as badly as those who have. Each look at a phone has the potential to cause serious damage so any phone use should be viewed equally, whether it causes an accident or not.
Some people believe that they are invincible and that they won’t cause an accident because they’re still watching the road, or only looked down for a second. I see this while giving driving lessons around; Newbury, Thatcham and Basingstoke all the time. But no matter how good you are at driving or how long you have been driving, you can never predict what will happen on the road. You could be on a quiet road and just ‘look down for a second’ and you may not swerve but someone could step out into the road and you would have no time to react. The simple fact is mobile phones are nothing but a distraction. The best way to avoid using them whilst driving is to have the phone on silent and on the back seat or in the boot, so even if you wanted to grab it quickly, you couldn’t.
If mobile phone use is essential when you are driving, then finding a safe place to pullover and make call or get directions etc is the best thing to do. No text message, or call, or photo is worth a life.