Mobile phone use while driving: an avoidable accident risk
8 August 2003
Authors of an observational study of Melbourne metropolitan drivers have found a high rate of mobile phone use among drivers, and have highlighted the injury risk posed by the practice.
The research, published this week in the Medical Journal of Australia, recorded mobile phone use of 17,023 drivers in 3 one-hour periods on 3 Fridays at 12 highway sites in metropolitan Melbourne.
Study authors, Associate Professor David Taylor, Director of Emergency Medicine at Royal Melbourne Hospital and colleagues, found, ‘The rate of mobile phone use among drivers in metropolitan Melbourne is high.’
According to the researchers, there is increasing evidence that the use of a hand-held mobile telephone while driving a motor vehicle increases the risk of a traffic accident.
‘This is likely to represent a preventable cause of injury, as mobile phone use causes driver inattention and increases accident rates,’ Professor Taylor said.
The risk of collision while using a mobile phone is increased 4-fold, compared with a 2-fold increased risk when driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.06 per cent, the study authors wrote. A case–control study showed that the risk of a fatality is increased 9-fold when using a mobile phone.
The researchers observed 18.5 drivers per thousand (or 1.85 per cent) using mobile phones. Men had a slightly higher rate of use than women, while older drivers had a significantly lower rate than middle-aged or young drivers. They also found that the rate of mobile phone use was significantly higher in the evening compared with the morning.
‘The results of the study will assist the development of targeted intervention strategies to decrease mobile phone use while driving and will act as a baseline against which the effect of these interventions can be measured,’ said Professor Taylor.
Last Reviewed: 11 August 2003
- 1. Taylor DMcD, Bennett DM, Carter M, Garewal D. Mobile telephone use among Melbourne drivers: a preventable exposure to injury risk. MJA 2003; 179 (3): 140-42.
