Time for action for us here in Malta, before we have another horrific traffic fatality. On these islands, we only act after a fatality or serious accident occurs.
Then after a few months, we go back to the status quo. When it’s too late, another fatality occurs and we’re back to square one.
One major worry of mine, and I am sure, of thousands of other motorists is the daily, common use of mobile phones while driving. Thousands of motorists on our roads use them every day.
One main worry is that like a number of countries abroad, a big percentage of the offenders are professional drivers, guiding lorries, heavy goods vehicles and yes, even buses, as witnessed by me on a number of occasions!
The amount of drivers charged with this dangerous offence, is small, compared to all other traffic citations. It is a real joke!
It is exactly two years since a lorry driver in England, John Payne, was jailed for four years, for causing the death of an unfortunate young lady, 23 year-old Trinity Taylor.
His seven-ton vehicle overturned and crashed into Miss Taylor’s Peugeot, crushing her to death. In the meantime, her car ended up half its original length, and was unrecognisable. It looked like a concertina.
What was he doing? Sending a text while driving his gigantic monster at 61 mph! In the process, he missed several signs warning of traffic queues, and failed to see the queue, which was visible 900 metres away.
Sentencing Payne, Judge Michael Broderick said, “Anyone wanting an illustration of the dangers of using mobile phones while driving only has to look at the facts of this case.
Research has shown conclusively that drivers using mobile phones, are four times more likely to have an accident, and, as likely to have a collision as someone who is over the drink-drive limit.”
A study reported in Live Science confirmed that the reaction time of cell phone users slows dramatically, increasing the risk of accidents, and tying up traffic generally. When young adults use their phones while driving, they were found to be as bad as sleepy septuagenarians.
University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer’s poignant comments were, “If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, his/her reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone. It’s like instantly aging a large number of drivers.”
Mobile phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 333,000 injuries in the United States every year according to the journals publisher, The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
It’s sobering to realise the total US casualties almost equals Malta’s population.
Come on you traffic wardens and traffic policemen. You will also have the satisfaction of saving a number of lives in the process.
Chevalier Colonel
Dr Raymond Bencini
Zebbug