The Estonian Transport Administration has launched a campaign to raise awareness focusing on the issue of distracted driving. The campaign ‘Resist the distraction! Keep your eyes on the road, not your phone’ urges drivers to concentrate fully on the road and avoid talking on the phone, as it reduces the driver's reaction time and puts all road users at risk.
The goal is to draw attention to the fact that any distractions at the wheel – whether talking on the phone, setting up the GPS or eating – increase the risk of road accidents.
Last year, there were at least 11 serious traffic accidents where one of the risk factors was distracted driving. “Distracted drivers tend to speed more, have longer reaction times and miss information in the traffic environment,” said Maria Pashkevich, director of the Traffic Safety Department at the Transport Administration. “All of this increases the risk of road accidents.”
Statistics show that while the overall use of mobile phones while driving has decreased slightly, 60% of drivers still talk on the phone while behind the wheel, with 16% doing so regularly. The phone is most often used to answer calls (94%), call family members (74%) and make work-related calls (61%). However, research confirms that using a hands-free system is not risk-free in terms of traffic safety either; it distracts the driver and reduces their ability to react quickly to unexpected situations.
In the last 12 months, 22% of drivers were in a situation where distracted driving endangered road safety. The main distractions were conversing with passengers, using navigation devices, using the phone and dealing with children.
Additional information: The Estonian Transport Administration traffic safety studies
Until the end of April, the campaign will use television, radio, outdoor media and the internet as its communication channels.
You can watch the campaign clip here
You can listen to the campaign song here
You can view campaign designs here
