Driving in South Africa requires a good deal of concentration, especially with hazards like potholes, wildlife, and other drivers on the road, which is why it’s best to drive without distractions.
Despite the Easter weekend and the latest school holiday being behind us, April still marks distracted driving awareness month in South Africa, a reminder for motorists to remain focused on the road.
According to insurers, distracted driving increases the likelihood of a crash occurring by 60%, and driving while distracted is one of the leading causes of road fatalities in the world.
Eugen Herbert, CEO of the advanced driver training organisation MasterDrive, said that, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), using a cellphone while driving increases the crash risk by up to four times.
This even applies to both handheld and Bluetooth use, as the WHO recognises these as cognitive distractions.
“In South Africa, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) consistently lists driver distraction as a major contributing factor in fatal accidents,” noted Herbert.
“It is difficult to obtain accurate data because in the aftermath of a crash, it is not always possible to conclusively attribute it to driving while distracted.”
He explained that while many drivers believe that they can confidently focus on driving while being distracted, scientific research has confirmed that it is neurologically impossible to fully concentrate on two tasks simultaneously.
Instead of full focus on either task, the brain rapidly switches attention between tasks, leaving the driver unable to focus on either one fully.
“In those split seconds of divided focus, everything can go wrong. At 120 km/h, a vehicle travels approximately 33 metres every second,” explained Herbert.
“A four to five-second glance at a phone is equivalent to travelling the length of a rugby field completely blind.”
Drivers are distracted by more than their phones
While cellphone use during driving remains the most common factor causing South Africans to drive distracted, it is not the only one.
Herbert said that South Africans must avoid falling into the trap of assuming that the only distractions while driving are scrolling through messages or answering phone calls.
He explained that the causes of driving while distracted are far broader, and instead include:
- Eating or drinking while behind the steering wheel,
- Looking away to adjust the GPS, radio, or climate controls,
- Engaging in conversations with passengers, particularly with children in the backseat,
- Daydreaming or emotional distraction,
- Using mirrors to apply makeup or to groom facial hair,
- Reaching for an object inside the vehicle,
- Inattentive driving, or
- Any activity that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, or your mind off driving.
Herbert explained that distracted driving incidents tend to increase around long weekends and school holidays, especially with more families heading to holiday destinations.
“This is when it becomes even more deadly with multiple occupants in the vehicle. Do not risk the lives of your loved ones for a notification, a snack, or a song change,” advised Herbert.
He added that businesses are also in a powerful position to motivate change, urging them to implement a distracted driving policy through which employees pledge to avoid driving while distracted.
“Distribute educational resources, actively encourage employees and model a workplace culture that values road safety with no tolerance for distracted driving,” concluded Herbert.
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