Finland tells parents to monitor childrens' mobile use

Rather like the findings of the UK's Stewart Report, ­Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) says there's no evidence that mobile phones are dangerous to health but tells parents to restrict children's mobile phone use until all the effects are known. It suggests sending text messages instead of making voice calls and says children should be taught to use hands-free devices. [Sources: Finland.fi; stuk.fi (Finnish)]

Hands-free calls in cars add 5 metres to stopping distance

Here's a story that echoes last week's warning about distracting hands-free conversations. Psychology researchers led by Dr Melina Kunar at the University of Warwick have published a research paper that shows mobile phone conversations impair reaction time by an average of 212 milliseconds, which equates to an extra 5.7 metres braking distance for a car travelling at 60 miles an hour. In addition, drivers using their phones suffer 83% more errors than those driving without the distraction of a mobile phone conversation. Listening to a story made very little difference to the test participants' response times or accuracy. [Press release]

5th anniversary of hands-free law marked by RoSPA

RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, is reminding motorists about the risks of making a call or texting at the wheel five years after it became illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving. The law was introduced in Britain on 1st December 2003 but casualty statistics reveal there were 25 fatal accidents, 64 serious accidents and 259 other accidents on Britain’s roads last year in which a driver using a mobile phone was recorded as a contributory factor. They also point to research that shows using a mobile phone at the wheel – whether hand-held or hands-free – makes you four times more likely to have an accident. [Press release]

Hands-free conversations are more distracting than talking to passengers

The December issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, which is published by the American Psychological Association, says drivers make more mistakes when talking on a mobile phone than when talking to passengers. The study looked at 41 mostly young adult drivers paired with 41 friends. The results of the experiment, which was conducted using a driving simulator, showed that mobile phone users were more likely to drift in their lane, kept a greater distance between their car and the car in front, and were four times more likely to miss pulling off the highway at the rest area. Passenger conversation barely affected these three measures. In addition, the passengers took an active role in helping the driver, often talking about surrounding traffic. [Press release; PDF of article]

New mobile service automatically diverts mobiles when driving

Canada's Aegis Mobility has announced that it's entered into a partnership with the USA's Nationwide Insurance, offering drivers a discount if they use the Aegis Mobility's DriveAssist technology. DriveAssist - which is expected to be implemented from next year - uses software on the phone to detect when a phone is in a car that's being driven. It then diverts calls and text messages, while offering an override facility for passengers and emergency calls. [Press release]

Texting while driving slows reactions by over a third

New research for the RAC Foundation says that texting when behind the wheel impairs driving skills more than drinking or using cannabis. The charity used a driving simulator with a group of 17 to 24-year-old motorists. Texting whilst driving caused reaction times to slow by 35%, which was worse than alcohol at the legal limit (12% slower) and driving under the influence of cannabis (21% slower). Steering control was 91% worse, and the ability to maintain a safe following distance also fell. The RAC Foundation says existing laws are adequate but there should be high-profile enforcement. [Press release]

Using a handheld mobile could increase car insurance by 54%

Motorists risk a 54% price rise on their car insurance premiums if they're caught using a handheld mobile phone whilst driving, according to price comparison website moneysupermarket.com. They've surveyed British motorists and found that 30% admit illegally using their mobile phone while driving, with 21% saying they've written or read text messages when behind the wheel. The company says some popular motor insurers won't provide insurance quotes for drivers who've received penalty points for using a mobile, which could mean a 54% increase for a 40-year-old male driver. [Source: MoneyNews.co.uk]

New guidelines for driving offences involving mobiles

The Sentencing Guidelines Council, which issues guidelines to courts in England and Wales, has said that people distracted by a hand-held mobile phone when committing a driving offence should be treated particularly seriously. Its new guidelines state that a driving offence committed whilst reading or composing text messages whilst behind the wheel could result in up to seven years in prison. [PDF press release; PDF guidelines]

Hands-free crash driver is jailed

A truck driver who crashed into another vehicle while making a hands-free phone call has been sent to prison for 4½ years. 49-year-old Mervyn Richmond from Derby drove into a queue of traffic, killing a man and seriously injuring two others. He was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving at Lincoln Crown Court. [Source: BBC News]

Teen Drivers Often Ignore Bans on Using Cellphones and Texting

Teen Drivers Often Ignore Bans on Using Cellphones and Texting. Yes, that’s the headline. No great surprise. Apparently mobile phone use by teenage drivers rose in North Carolina after the state banned drivers aged under 18 from using their mobiles behind the wheel, according to research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the University of North Carolina. However, the drivers themselves said they supported the restrictions, which forbid hand-held and hands-free phone use. Before the ban at the end of 2006, 11% of young drivers were seen to be using their mobiles as they drove away from school or college – but this rose to 12% five months later. In neighbouring South Carolina, where there’s no similar ban, mobile phone use remained at around 13%. [Source: Insurance Journal; University of North Carolina]

Two-thirds of drivers want harsher penalties for breaking hands-free law

A survey by headset manufacturer Jabra says most drivers know it's illegal to use a mobile phone at the wheel and believe the penalties aren't harsh enough. The Jabra research surveyed over 2,000 consumers in Great Britain, revealing 93% of motorists were aware that using a handheld phone while at the wheel without a hands-free kit could be treated as dangerous driving with a potential prison sentence of up to two years. And 68% of motorists thought this penalty should be tougher to encourage more drivers to stop using their handheld at the wheel. Overall, 62% of motorists said they were now using a handsfree solution and 17% said they'd stopped using their mobile when driving. [Press release]

460 drivers caught using mobiles every day

Police figures from 2006 show they caught an average of 460 drivers every day using hand-held mobile phones in the UK. Overall, more than 168,000 people were fined for using a mobile phone when driving, which is a rise of 30% on the previous year. (Figures for 2007 haven't been made available yet). [Source: Telegraph.co.uk]

German truck driver escapes 'driving with a mobile' offence

A German lorry driver has escaped a penalty for driving while holding a mobile phone - because he wasn't making a call, just using it to keep his ear warm. Walter Klein told a court in Hamm that he'd just recharged the phone and was using its warmth to sooth his earache. He produced an itemised telephone bill that showed he hadn't been using the phone when he was stopped by police. [Source: Ananova.com]

Hands-free law isn't working, say road safety experts

The Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association (LARSOA) has carried out a poll on the effectiveness of the UK's "hands-free" legislation. A year ago, the penalty for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving was increased (from £30 and no penalty points) to £60 with three penalty points. All 185 LARSOA members were asked whether they thought the legislation had been effective. Although 100% of members agreed with the legislation, 75% of members didn't think it had been effective. LARSOA is encouraging drivers to switch off their mobile phones when they get in the car and to make use of voicemail. [Press release]

Drivers could be jailed for holding mobiles

New guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Service say that drivers could face jail if they've been driving dangerously while using a mobile phone. [Source: BBC News]