MOTORS.CO.UK CAMPAIGNS FOR GREATER DRIVER SAFETY

Smart car search website, Motors.co.uk, has launched a brand new digital campaign to remind motorists of the dangers of distracted driving, releasing an interactive experience that tests whether drivers will give in to distractions when at the wheel.

The online ‘Time to Stop’ challenge, which will be hosted on Motors.co.uk and promoted on its social channels, aims to highlight the dangers and reduce the number of people illegally using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving.

It is accompanied by a petition to the UK government urging for a national safety campaign - similar to previous anti- drink and drive campaigns - to raise awareness of the dangers of interacting with a hand-held device when driving including texting, checking social media, emailing and internet browsing.

The current law, brought into force in 2003, currently prohibits the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving; however, according to the Department for Transport, there were 3,611 accidents involving mobile phone usage between 2009-14, and in 2014 alone there were more than 120,000 drivers caught illegally using a mobile phone, with 17,000 prosecuted for the offence.

Further research shows that:

• 95% of drivers regularly see other motorists looking at their phones while stationary in traffic (RAC Opinion Panel, April 2016)
• Reading the average length text message, while travelling at 55mph, takes a driver’s eyes off the road for long enough to cover the length of a football pitch (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2009)
• One in five motorists admit accessing social networking sites on their mobile phone while driving (RAC Report on Motoring, 2010)

Phill Jones, managing director of Motors.co.uk, said: “We believe a national safety campaign should be created that clearly and memorably restates the law, highlighting the dangers and impact of using a hand-held device when driving. The last campaign of this type was released in 2012, and it focused primarily on cutting down on making and taking calls behind the wheel. In the intervening 4 years, not only has the number of phones in use increased dramatically but so has the range of functionality on these devices, increasing their role in our everyday lives – and the consequent potential distraction in-car.”

Motors.co.uk has a proud history of active corporate and social responsibility, including previous high profile digital campaigns promoting rear facing car seats for children and the driving theory test.

Consumers can take the ‘Time to Stop’ challenge for themselves athttp://www.motors.co.uk/time-to-stop / andsign the petition

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/132755

Ends

Government legislations about using a mobile phone when driving can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/using-mobile-phones-when-driving-the-law andhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2695/pdfs/uksi_20032695_en.pdf