Mobile phone use raises chances of accident fourfold

(MENAFN- Arab News) RIYADH: Mobile phone use while driving increases the probability of a traffic accident by as much as four times said a senior Traffic Department officer.

Brig. Gen. Ali Al-Rashidi director of safety and Riyadh Traffic Department spokesman said that police can often identify drivers who are busy with cell phone calls as they usually slow their vehicles as the result of shifting focus from the road to the phone. This makes them less attentive to road conditions in front of them and less capable of responding to emergencies.
'Based on recent studies the occurrence of a traffic accident increases fourfold during the use of mobile phones while driving as it brings about a variety of changes in a driver's behavior and will adversely affect his safety' he said.
'Some 35 percent of drivers respond to calls make calls or send text messages while driving. Young drivers are the most prone to mobile phone usage while driving and thus are the most vulnerable to risks. This is especially true of people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are twice as vulnerable to these risks as those over the age of 55 years' he continued.
Al-Rashidi stressed the importance of educating drivers about the risks associated with mobile phone use while driving.
In 1435H Riyadh registered the highest number of mobile phone related violations while driving with a total of 145979 cases followed by Jeddah with 122083 and the Eastern Province with 78081 cases.