One in 5 drivers use mobile phones while commuting: Survey

Doha: In a recent online survey, the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC) at Qatar University discovered that of the 256  respondents, only 13% said they never used their mobile phones for calls in their last 10 driving trips. In contrast, a “whopping one in five used their mobile phones on their trips.”

Road accidents are one of the leading causes of death globally. Besides over-speeding, drivers using mobile phones are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using a mobile phone, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

It is estimated that more than 1.35 million people die on the world’s roads, and millions more are seriously injured annually.

Last year, an official of the General Directorate of Traffic, while addressing a webinar, said about 80 to 90 percent of traffic accidents are caused by mobile phones while driving, especially on highways.

Qatar has enacted significant measures with excellent road networks, speed cameras and well-defined repercussions for violations – even the country’s death rate due to road accidents per 100,000 people is the lowest compared to the rest of the world. However, proper road ethics remains a significant problem for authorities.

In an interview with The Peninsula, Dr. Mohammed Y Al Qaradawi, Director of QTTSC, said most drivers are also guilty of concentrating on navigational maps apart from texting and calls.  

“The other most common mobile phone activities are using other apps (such as for navigation) and texting messages while driving,” Dr. Al Qaradawi said. “It was also found that male drivers used their mobile phones more frequently than females, especially for calling, browsing, and watching videos, except for other apps (navigational mainly) where females were more frequent users than males,” he added.

He stressed that the survey revealed that around 90% of the respondents think using a mobile phone while driving increases their risk of a car crash and distracts attention from the road. However, slightly fewer (75%) consider the practice generally unsafe. 

“This shows that some underestimate the dangerous consequences of a car crash due to mobile use while driving. When asked about the current penalty for using the hand-held mobile phone while driving, only 40% claimed to be aware of it, while 28% were ignorant.

“Once the respondents were made aware of the penalty of QR500, only 23% thought it was stiff, and the rest believed the fine is moderate to low. Moreover, more than half of the respondents thought they are unlikely to be apprehended and fined if they use a hand-held mobile phone while driving,” Dr. Al Qaradawi disclosed.

The QTTSC survey also found that respondents believe that awareness through mass media/social media (76%), increased fines for repeated convictions (60%) and increased camera and police surveillance (57%) are the top three interventions that would most likely be effective in curbing mobile phone use while driving. 

“QTTSC is currently conducting a further study, funded by Qatar National Research Fund, to track mobile phone usage while driving using a mobile application,” Dr. Al Qaradawi added.

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