A driver uses a mobile phone behind the wheel, in a file image.Getty Images
Picking up your phone for a few seconds while driving can have the worst consequences. In 2020, more than 300 people died from distracted driving, including the most common: using the phone. The Directorate-General for Transport (DGT) has launched a week-long campaign to raise awareness of the danger of absent-mindedness, which has been the number one cause of fatal accidents since 2016, and to collect data on the most important offences. One in three complaints filed by traffic officials this week, Sept. 7-13, was related to improper use of cellphones while driving, a practice Traffic says drivers are reluctant to refrain from.
Specifically, 2,300 of the 6,854 applications submitted during the campaign week were due to the manual use of mobile phones while driving, according to the DGT in a press release. After cell phone use, the most common distraction violations are the wearing of seat belts while driving (something that generally occurs when drivers are seen by agents without having fastened them), for which 581 drivers were sanctioned (Aug , 4%). Then the use of helmets or headphones connected to sound playback devices other than mobile phones, behavior that is prohibited and for which 337 drivers were sanctioned during the campaign (4.9%).
Other most commonly sanctioned acts of distraction while driving are reading (207 cases), searching for objects (98), being distracted by other vehicle occupants (85), or driving while eating (66). Civil Guard traffic agents have carried out 8,199 stops, during which they have reported 6,823 drivers – some of them received more than one – for engaging in distracting behavior while driving.
DGT also said September’s updated data on distracted driving was “worrying”, including a report by the European Road Safety Observatory that 29% of drivers admit to using their mobile phone without a hands-free kit and 24% admit to reading text messages or to have checked social networks. The study shows how actions that take your eyes off the road or perform manual tasks have a greater impact on both driving behavior and collision risk. A risk that increases 3.6 times when using the phone without a speakerphone, 6 times when writing a message and 12 times when manually dialing a number.
The Aspaym National Federation – which brings together associations of SCI and other people with physical disabilities – has partnered with the DGT on this campaign. Volunteers with spinal cord injuries accompanied traffic cops at their roadside checks in different parts of Spain, their presence raising awareness of the potential and irreversible consequences of minor distractions at the wheel. This participation is part of the “Don’t run, don’t drink, don’t change your bike” awareness campaign that has been running since 2007.
In March of this year, the new traffic law came into force, increasing penalties for carrying a mobile phone while driving. With the new regulations, this behavior is punished with the loss of six points (previously it was three) and a fine of 200 euros. If the phone is used while on a holder, three points will be deducted. Hands-free mode is still permitted.
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