Police to focus on drivers using phones

DISTRACTION: A survey carried out just over a year ago found that one in every 40 people behind the wheel was on their mobile.

Unlike calls made on cellphones, the message about not using them while driving doesn't appear to be getting through.

Three weeks after a blitz in Hastings which saw 20 drivers picked up (in one specific area) in just one hour, a park-up in Kennedy Rd in Napier this week resulted in one of the Hawke's Bay Today photographers spotting at least five in only about 20 minutes.

Three drivers using cell phones were also spotted on SH2 near Awatoto during a similar short time span a day later.

Several drivers were seen looking down at something in their laps or on the seat beside them - indicating they were checking out their phones.

It was a result which appears to reflect figure released by the Ministry of Transport during a survey of 29,000 (moving) vehicles carried out just over a year ago - it found that one in every 40 drivers was using a cell phone. Half of those spotted had a phone held to their ear while the other half appeared to be texting.

The survey was carried out in 52 sites across the country, including Hawke's Bay.

Another aspect was when vehicles were stationary in a queue the numbers of driver using a cell phone increased to one in every 20 vehicles.

In 2014 driver distraction was a contributing factor in 22 fatal crashes, 191 serious injury crashes and 1053 crashes.

According to Ministry of Transport figures the total cost of crashes involving "diverted attention" was about $297 million.

"However, this is nothing compared to the devastating human cost of the broken families and friends that are left behind when someone is needlessly killed in a crash that could have been prevented," Police National Road Policing Manager Superintendent Steve Greally said.

"And that is what police are focusing on," he said, explaining that from Monday there will be a national police focus on drivers whose attention is on their phones rather than the road ahead.

Legislation banning using a cell phone while driving, or even while stationary at traffic lights or in a queue of traffic, was introduced in November 2009, with penalties of an $80 fine and 20 demerit points.

The only exception to using a mobile phone while driving is if there is an emergency situation unfolding and it is unsafe or impracticable to stop the vehicle. Despite the legislation, and copping a fine if caught, cell phone use in moving vehicles had remained an ongoing issue for police and they were not overly optimistic at the prospect of the problem disappearing.

"I think it is like any changes to the laws - like changes in speeds - it is just going to take time," Hawke's Bay road policing manager Senior Sergeant Greg Brown said.

"It is a very prevalent problem but we are going to keep at it and we are up for it." Mr Brown added that all staff at all times, including detective units, would move in and stop an errant phone-using driver.

He had his own first-hand taste of the potential for disaster at the hands of a cell phone-using driver last week while he and a colleague were on their way to a meeting about road safety around schools.

A car veered toward them on a moderate bend in Farndon Rd - the driver had been distracted by his cell phone which began "dinging" and he had looked down to check it.

Braking hard and having to swerve away, Mr Brown narrowly avoided slamming into a power pole.

The driver was appropriately issued with an infringement notice and told police he was unlucky he had transgressed in from of them, of all people.

Mr Brown said most people they stopped and issued tickets to accepted it.

"But a lot of people genuinely do not realise what they have done - they don't think about the 15 or 20 metres they've travelled with their eyes off the road."

The bottom line was, he said, that drivers using their cell phones were simply being selfish toward others.

"And it is something that is highly preventable - it does not have to happen.

"It is simple common sense and we are going to keep pushing the message through."

He urged passengers in cars where the driver was using a cell phone for any reason to speak up.

And it was not just making or taking a call or a text that involved cell phones.

More and more people used them for music or to look for something on the internet.

"And a lot of phones have navigation [GPS] systems on them now, so they're using them for that as well."

After posting a video on the police website about drivers using cell phones Mr Brown said the comments were constant, and not surprising.

"We had a lot of people saying 'oh we see that going on all the time.'"

- Superintendent Greally said while cell phones and other transmitting devices were a major contributor to distraction behind the wheel they were not the only high risk driving behaviours police will be targeting. Other frequent events police come across are drivers putting on make-up, shaving, reading and being distracted by passengers, and while there was no specific infringement offence for them they had the potential to result in an even more serious charge - careless driving. That results in a court appearance and fines up to $3000.