Drivers still text despite dangers | NSW News | Breaking State News in New South Wales
Drivers still text despite dangers
Maddie Orchard from East Ballina, and Katie Cross from East Lismore, admit to using their mobile phones while driving even though they know it’s dangerous.
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This poll ended on 31 August 2010.
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THEY know it is wrong and potentially dangerous, but Maddie Orchard of East Ballina, and Katie Cross of Lismore, still send text messages while driving.
“Yes, I do it,” 21-year-old Maddie admitted.
“But only because if someone texts you and if you don’t text back straight away, you might forget about it.
“And I can text without even looking at the screen.”
Katie, 24, says she makes phone calls while driving more often than she sends messages.
“I work in Byron Bay but live in Lismore, so I spend a bit of time in the car,” she said. So far, the women have not been caught.
But, according to NSW Police, using a mobile phone while driving is just as dangerous for young drivers as low-range drink-driving.
And a road test done by NRMA Insurance found that people who text and drive spend almost 70 per cent of the trip glancing at their phone.
It also revealed the drivers, on average, glanced at their phone 38 times for an average 1.4 seconds during the trip.
This means that a driver travelling at 60km/h glances at their phone for 22 metres at a time, according to NRMA Insurance spokesman, Robert McDonald.
He said it was a ‘confronting insight into the dangers of sending and receiving texts while driving’.
“People clearly have an appetite for mobile phones and their convenience of immediate communication,” he said.
“But drivers need to resist the urge of sending or reading that message when it comes through.
“It is not only dangerous for the driver but also for the passengers and other drivers on the road.”
Eating, drinking, smoking or checking your appearance in the rear-view mirror is also distracting, Mr McDonald said.
“If you lose focus while behind the wheel, even if it is only for a split second, the consequences can be serious,” he said.
“If people need to read or send a message urgently we suggest they pull over and read it in a safe place.”
This year’s edition of the NSW Guide to Driver Safety, released by Pro-Visual Publishing yesterday, highlights that young drivers agedbetween 17 and 24 are the biggest safety risks.
Chief executive John Hutchings said mobile phones were an ‘essential part of many people’s lives’.
“But it is vital that they are aware that mobile phones and driving do not mix,” he said.
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Recent Comments
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Posted by LHC4Life from Lennox Head, New South Wales
22 February 2010 4:28 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
I am extremely dissapointed in these 2 girls i went to school with them and thought they could show a bit more maturity about the situation and no be so blatant about using there mobiles
Posted by Karena899 from USA (United States of America), None
22 February 2010 5:02 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
Oh WOW this is my pet peeve and has become a huge issue here in Florida. There is nothing worse than someone who texts while driving, not only are these people putting their lives at risk but the lives of fellow road users. NEED PROOF: I live off a busy HWY in Northwest Florida. This HWY is the only connecting road between the cities of Pensacola and Ft Walton Beach. Every week I get stuck in traffic because some fool is not paying attention to the road. Recently a young driver was killed because he was texting and drove into the back of a school bus.
I was born and raised in Lismore, NSW and to see that texting while driving has become an issue over there as well is just beyond me. USE YOUR BRAINS PEOPLE and keep you and everyone else safe.
YES There needs to be a tough stance and heavy fines on people that choose to text while driving.
Posted by Dessyp from Grafton, New South Wales
22 February 2010 7:58 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
“I work in Byron Bay but live in Lismore, so I spend a bit of time in the car,”, fair dinkum, you would think someone would value their licence more than that, talk about driving for dummies!
Posted by carolmcguire from Evans Head, New South Wales
22 February 2010 9:09 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
well they've 'confessed' surely a knock on the door from the boys in blue is warranted. Maybe they can have their mobile phone licence suspended for 3 years as well as their driving licence. Selfish, inconsiderate and dangerous. It's just a bloody message, it's not life shattering. So wait till you get where you're going or pull over. Idiots!
Posted by Jlind from Lismore, New South Wales
22 February 2010 9:56 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
Amazing that these girls receive messages of such importance that they have to answer them straight away! Girls - nothing you receive via text is so vital that you have the right to put innocent parties lives at risk - by that I do not mean your own but the other person who will suffer when YOU cause an accident. GROW UP AND GROW A BRAIN.
Posted by Yvonne from Rosewood, Queensland
22 February 2010 11:31 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
you're a long time dead girls, then there will be no need to ever use your mobiles again. for goodness sake, how about turning your mobile off while you are in the car? i can't believe people are so stupid as to participate in an activity that no only endangers their own lives, but every other driver on the road. grow up, both of you!!!
Posted by horstgraben from Parliament House, Queensland
22 February 2010 2:27 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
Any chance we can have Maddie and Kate's rego and car descriptions so when we see them on the road we can give them a wide berth?
Posted by slumlord from Redbank, Queensland
23 February 2010 1:11 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
just plain lazy not being able to wait till they get were they are going to check there mobiles to messages
Posted by sevens from Wollongbar, New South Wales
23 February 2010 8:59 a.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
hopefully they willl not injure anyone else when they have an accident due to their stupidity. Grow a bit of intellignece people nothing is that important unless you want to enter the afterlife early but please do not take anyone else with you. Is it possible for mobile phones to be switched off while driving and then answer all missed calls when you have stopped driving.
Posted by Zorro from Noosa Heads, Queensland
23 February 2010 6:09 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
Dumb and dumber.
Even more frightening is the fact that they are far from alone.
And people worry about sharks...
ha...
Posted by picman2 from Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
24 February 2010 6:53 p.m. | Suggest removal » | Post reply »
If that's their admission then have the police take their license off them for a few years until they grow up. I see this just about everyday and these people never get “court”.