AMTA met with the Victoria’s most senior traffic policeman this week to discuss road safety issues and the use of mobile phones.

AMTA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Althaus, met Assistant Commissioner Ken Lay at the Victoria Police Headquarters in Melbourne to update him on the industry’s efforts to make people aware of safety issues related to mobile phone use while driving.

“It was a very positive meeting and Mr Lay agreed that we should consider how the industry and Victoria police can work together to promote the safe and responsible use of mobile phones by drivers,” he said.

Mr Althaus told the meeting that AMTA supported police efforts to stop drivers using hand-held phones and was committed to making drivers aware of the safe and responsible use of legal hands-free phones.

“We stress that although a hands-free device can reduce the physical effort to make and receive calls, drivers should avoid making calls in adverse traffic, road or weather conditions and avoid complex or emotional conversations. Safety is the most important call drivers can make.

“While technology can address physical and visual factors, education and awareness is required to address cognitive factors. Therefore, the most useful action governments can take is to help educate drivers about the appropriate use of mobile telecommunications products in vehicles.

“AMTA has urged governments to take the ‘education’ path on all driving distractions and has offered to partner governments in such a campaign.”

Assistant Commissioner Lay said he would be pleased to work with AMTA on informing motorists about mobile phone use and driving.

Mr Althaus said another issue discussed was claims made in the media about comparing mobile phone use to drink driving.

The claim that using a mobile phone while driving is as dangerous as drink driving is simply wrong, considered irresponsible by some road safety authorities and will not help to educate drivers about the important issue of inattentive driving, he said.

“No one is questioning that mobile phone use imposes physical, visual, and cognitive demands on the driver and the mobiles industry is not advocating the existing ban on handheld use in Australia be changed. However, the false comparison with drink driving could undermine other driver safety campaigns by reducing the stigma of drunk driving.”

A recent Australian study compared the blood alcohol levels of drivers involved in real car crashes and found the risk of an accident was increased by 25 times at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08.

Mobile phones have not been shown to present this level of risk in any research.