Extending the mobile ban won’t solve the problem

The laws around mobile phone use while driving are to be tightened under new UK government plans to make any use of a hand-held phone illegal. From 2022, mobile phone law will be extended to cover taking photos or videos, scrolling through playlists or playing games while driving or stationary, say, at a traffic light.

Use of a mobile phone ‘hands-free’, however, will still be allowed – even though research shows it is equally distracting. Currently, UK drivers using a hand-held mobile phone can only be prosecuted if it can be proven that they were using it for an “interactive communicative function” such as calling or texting. The change in the law closes this loophole, and makes it easier for distracted drivers to be prosecuted, fined £200, and given six points on their licence.

So why do drivers who support the law, and acknowledge the dangers of distracted driving, still use their phones? The answer partly lies in driver attitudes and biases…

read the full story at The Conversation