“Oi, Mind on the road, not the phone”

The friendly message is “Oi, Mind on the road, not the phone”, the reason drivers on phones cause accidents.

Auckland Transport is launching a new campaign highlighting the high numbers driving while using their phones. In Auckland, between 2009 and 2013 there were 5 fatalities as a result of drivers being distracted.

Karen Hay, Manager Community and Road Safety says, “The numbers are probably under-reported, this could be a much bigger problem.”

She says 60% of the crashes are rear-end collisions, “This is obviously drivers taking their eyes off the road.”

The “Oi, Mind on the road, not the phone” campaign targets 16 to 39 year olds and includes a cinema ad plus radio and digital advertising.

Rob Pitney, Auckland Transport’s Manager Campaigns and Customer Insights says people of all ages are using their phones behind the wheel and a third of all distraction-related crashes involve drivers in their twenties.

“We’ve discovered two-thirds of people in this group are texting, using apps and social media, doing emails and making calls while driving. They’re the target of the ‘Oi’ campaign, we want to raise awareness of the very real dangers of using mobile phones while driving and to introduce a gentle ‘nudge’ that will enable passengers to encourage drivers to leave their phone alone.”

Research by Auckland Transport shows 30% of those who make calls have their phone up to their ear and 70% of those who make calls do it when the car is actually moving. It was also found that 70% use apps for travel information while driving.

Mr Pitney says “Our focus is on driving smartly, sensibly – focussing on the driving and not the smart phone.”

Senior Sergeant Mark Chivers of Counties Manukau Road Policing Unit says it’s an offence to use a mobile phone while driving, the penalty is $80 and 20 demerit points.

“Driver distractions come under high risk driving in our “Fatal Five” – the five things that contribute to crashes and trauma on our roads. We have a continued focus on these things in our on-going effort to reduce road trauma.”

He says the campaign with Auckland Transport is an opportunity for Police to demonstrate that any dangerous activity on our roads will not be tolerated.

Check out the Oi advertisement here: https://youtu.be/VoiSay0qatM.

www.atgovt.nz

ENDS

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