This week sees the start of the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) National Using a Mobile Phone Whilst Driving Operation and we will be working along with all our partners across Wales to educate all road users on the risks of using your mobile phone whilst driving and encourage the minority who choose risk over safety to make the safer choice.

The RAC Report on Motoring has reported that the use of mobile phones whilst driving has been the top concern for motorists in four out of the last five years. This is no surprise when research shows that motorists choosing to use their mobile phone whilst driving have poorer lane discipline and take longer to react to hazards; risking the safety of all road users.

Research has shown that if you use a mobile phone whilst driving you are 4 times more likely to be involved in a collision and your reaction times are 2 times slower if you text and drive than if you drink drive; which increases to 3 times slower if you use a handheld phone.

We are asking all drivers to make safety your first choice when driving, and resist the temptation to look at and use your mobile phone.

Just like wearing a seatbelt at the start of a journey is second nature, why not turn your mobile off at the start of every journey? Or, place your mobile in a signal blocking pouch or out of reach in your glove compartment? You can even set up your mobile to automatically send a message to anyone who calls or texts you informing them you are driving and will contact them as soon as you have reached your destination.

Teresa Ciano, GoSafe Partnership Manager said:

“Whilst driving our focus should only be on the road and our driving environment. By putting our mobile phones aside for the duration of a journey we will be playing our part in keeping our roads safe.”

Our Casualty Reduction Officers target three of the Fatal Five elements, including the use of mobile phones whilst driving every day as they encourage compliance with the speed limits at sites across Wales. Our aim is to make Welsh roads safer for everyone and through educating road users on the dangers of using a mobile phone whilst driving and encouraging more people to think – Is that call or text really that important? – we hope that more people will stand up for hanging up.