As we move into June, ACT Policing will be out in force targeting driver distraction as part of its ongoing road safety campaign with partner agencies.
Driver distraction is any action that takes a driver’s attention away from the road and onto other elements of their environment. This could include using a mobile phone, driving with headphones in, tuning your radio, managing children or pets on board or applying make-up.
Officer in Charge of Traffic Operations, Station Sergeant Susan Ball stresses that even a short glace away from the road can have tragic consequences.
“If you think that looking down for a few seconds to check a text message causes no harm, I can assure you that the families who have lost loved ones because of a distracted driver feel very differently.”
“If a driver travelling in an 80km/h zone takes their eyes off the road for three seconds then they’ll travel over 60 metres effectively blind folded before their eyes return to the road,” Station Sergeant Ball said. “There is absolutely no excuse to look at your phone while driving, either have a passenger in the car check the phone for you or simply pull over. No text message is worth somebody’s life.”
Drivers who ignore their safety and the safety of others and choose to use a hand-held phone while driving will receive Traffic Infringement Notice, including a fine of $386 and the loss of three demerit points.
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