Mobile Phones

NO phone. Focus ON

Nothing on your phone is more important than your focus on the road.

And here’s the science behind it, in simple terms…

The human brain has limited capacity. Driving itself takes up a lot of brain power, so adding another task onto this, i.e. using a mobile phone, overloads the brain, so important information is missed and reactions slow down.

There is a difference between looking and seeing. Often, drivers will fail to notice hazards. They can look at them but fail to see them because their mind is on their phone activity.

Are you alert behind the wheel? Take this interactive test to find out.

Using a hands free phone while driving is just as dangerous as using a handheld phone because removing the need to hold or look at your phone doesn’t reduce the mental demand on your brain.

Video Transcript: This video shows writing on coloured backgrounds with car and mobile phone graphics. The writing says: Thank you for helping to keep your family and friends safe by sharing with them the fact that using a handsfree phone while driving is just as dangerous as using a handheld phone.  It really is! A driver using a handheld OR handsfree phone is: four times more likely to be involved in a collision than an undistracted driver; will often fail to notice hazards, and can even looks at hazards but fail to actually see them because their mind is on their phone activity; is often unaware of what’s going on around them, even when they’re stopped in traffic; is impaired in a similar way to a drink driver. But why? Because it’s about your brain, not your hands. Removing the need to hold or look at your phone doesn’t reduce the mental demand on your brain. When you’re distracted, you make errors. Let’s try a quick demo… you’re four times it’s hard to more likely to have concentrate on a road collision two things when you’re on at the same time a mobile phone. Your brain struggles to focus on both sentences at once. Credit: THINK.

Crashes caused by mobile phone use are completely avoidable…

…so make the right choice and put your phone away before driving.

If you do need to use your phone for any reason, you must pull over in a safe place, with the engine off and take the keys out of the ignition.

Penalties

It is illegal to use a hand-held mobile while driving or riding a motorcycle. Even using a hands-free option can incur penalties if your driving is deemed to be dangerous. Read more about penalties on the Kent Police website