AMTA welcomes a new driving study from the United States because it provides new data to assist road traffic authorities and police in effectively tackling drivers’ unsafe and irresponsible use of mobile phones.

The Virginia Tech’s Transportation Institute study has debunked misleading claims that driving using a mobile phone is as dangerous as drink driving. AMTA has consistently criticized such a claim because it relied on a misreading of the science and could have reduced the stigma attached to drink driving behavour.

The study used sophisticated cameras in cars to provide a clear picture of driver distraction and mobile phone use under real-world driving conditions instead of relying driving simulator in a laboratory.

The study found:

An “alarming amount of misinformation and confusion” over mobile. The study shows that talking and listening on a mobile while driving is not nearly as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol.

Text messaging on a mobile was associated with the highest risk of mobile phone-related tasks.

Handsfree mobile phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use because the primary risk is associated with both tasks in answering, dialing and other tasks that require the drivers’ eyes off the road.

In contrast, a “true” hands-free phone – such as voice-activated systems – are less risky if they are designed well so the driver does not have to take their eyes off the road often or for long periods.

Virginia Tech’s director, Dr Tom Dingus, said: “…talking and listening to a cell phone is not nearly as risky as driving while drunk at the legal limit of alcohol.

“Recent comparisons made in the literature greatly exaggerate the cell phone risk relative to the very serious effects of alcohol use, which increases the risk of a fatal crash approximately seven times that of sober driving.

“Using simple fatal crash and phone use statistics, if talking on cell phones was as risky as driving while drunk, the number of fatal crashes would have increased roughly 50% in the last decade instead of remaining largely unchanged.”

This view is supported by Australian statistics that show road fatalities have continued to decline and correlate with major road safety initiatives, such as the introduction of laws to enforce seatbelt wearing, the introduction of random breath testing and a mandatory 50km speed limit in residential areas. However, the road fatality reduction has continued despite the exponential rate of mobile phone ownership.

AMTA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Althaus, welcomed the new study saying it would put the issue of safety on a firmer basis and not rely on untested claims.

“We read regularly in newspapers around Australia that driving while using a mobile is as dangerous as drink-driving. AMTA believes this is based on mistaken assumptions and incomplete review of the research. The comparison could reduce the stigma of driving while drunk,” he said.

“Mobile phone use imposes physical, visual and cognitive demands but drink drivers are more likely to take risks because alcohol impairs their judgment.

“An Australian study, which compared the blood alcohol levels of drivers involved in real car crashes rather than driving simulators, 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.”