Distraction on the road can be fatal. It is, in fact, currently the main cause of accidents. The DGT continues to tackle the phenomenon of mobile phone use at the wheel.
We have been talking about this issue for quite some time. But it seems that the number of road accidents caused by mobile phone use is increasing, which is why the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) carries out regular campaigns to monitor drivers and detect this type of behaviour. The aim: to make us all aware of the danger of distraction when picking up a mobile phone at the wheel. The latest campaign took place in October, from the 9th to the 15th, and 364,165 vehicles were checked, according to the Ministry of the Interior. The conclusion is very negative: three out of 10 drivers were penalised for using their phone while driving.
The most frequent offence is still using a mobile phone while driving, ahead of others such as putting on a seat belt while driving or using headphones. 9,719 penalty notices have been issued. Drivers have been caught driving under the influence of alcohol (more than 1,200) or after taking drugs (almost 900).
This campaign was carried out with the collaboration of numerous local police forces, through their respective town councils, as well as officers of the Guardia Civil Traffic Group. Obviously, placing the device in an approved holder on the dashboard (to look at the GPS or turn up the volume of a podcast) is not the same as holding it in your hand to write a text message, take photos and videos, or even talk without a hands-free kit.
Mobile phones and driving: a scourge
It seems that for quite a few drivers, doing without their mobile phone while driving is an impossible task. The DGT's aerial units capture images of people talking on their mobile phones while driving a vehicle; it is not uncommon, if we look around us when we are in a vehicle, to see people chatting or sending voice messages from their devices. Among the images released by the DGT, one that is particularly striking shows a person using their mobile phone with both hands… while their car is moving.
And this despite the fact that fines for using these devices while driving have been toughened… currently, a driver who is stopped can lose six points from their driving licence and must pay 200 euros. Article 13.2 of the Traffic Act makes it very clear that attention to driving must be “permanent”, in order to guarantee one's own safety, as well as “that of the other occupants of the vehicle or that of other road users”.
In 2022, the Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE) and Castrol carried out a survey in which 99% recognised chatting or sending messages on a mobile phone while driving as risky behaviour. Just thinking that, travelling at 50 km/h, writing a message can keep us distracted for about 280 metres is rather dizzying. This fact alone should be a deterrent to certain behaviours: many tragedies would be avoided.