GEM Motoring Assist has launched a video to highlight the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving.
The video, Kill the Conversation, shows how dangerous using a mobile phone while driving can be, but also demonstrates that banishing any sort of distraction while driving can reduce risk.
Validated by Professor Stephen Stradling, a transport psychologist, the video features four drivers negotiating a private off-road site while talking or texting on their phones.
David Williams MBE, GEM chief executive, said: “Your physical skill in controlling a car is lost when using one or both hands to use a mobile phone and, additionally, your mental concentration is dangerously reduced. Both factors could mean you react late to hazards developing ahead or, in the worst cases, you may not see them at all.
“Official figures show that you increase your crash risk fourfold when using a mobile phone while driving, so we have launched this video to prove that it is easy, through sensible journey planning, to manage a road journey without using the phone. Being aware of what’s ahead, without a distraction, allows you to maximise the amount of space and time needed to react to any developing hazards.
“If it’s really important that you are in constant contact, set a voicemail greeting accordingly and build in regular breaks on journeys so you can check for messages and call anyone back when you have stopped somewhere safe.”
Click here to view the video.
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