What is FOMO I hear you ask?
“Fear of missing out”
Yes its another study on Driver Distraction, this latest blog post comes courtesy of Aviva Insurance who brought the research to my attention.
After the introduction of stiffer penalties in March, police (UK wide) have caught nearly 6,000 drivers using their devices behind the wheel. As predicted in an earlier post, I didn’t envisage the penalty increase making much of a difference.
The gist being, as a nation of ‘Smartphone addicts and that one in six smartphone owners will look at their devices more than 50 times a day! This in turn leads to compulsion to keep checking the mobile when driving.
“Compulsive behaviour, with drivers frequently checking their phones, suggests a fear of being disconnected from their online life and from missing out on any social experiences. It could explain why some drivers are struggling to put down their devices. Richard Coteau, Corporate Fundraising Manager from road safety charity Brake highlighted this point; “From our research and surveys, we know that driver distraction affects people, even more with many admitting that the temptation to update social media is too much to resist.”
That said – The 41% who have used their phone as a Satnav.
I’m not really sure what they are trying to say with this. I used my phone as a Satnav on my way to deliver a fleet course this morning. It’s no more dangerous or even illegal than using, a satnav as a satnav, as long as you set it up in position and programme it before you set off.
More worryingly is the 15% (not shown in the graph above, but listed in the research) that admit to watching you tube while driving! I know Bob Morton does some fantastic videos, but please watch them when you’re not driving!
It’s not all young drivers though, there’s also some interesting findings at the other end of the scale – Apparently 11% of over 75s in the survey are checking twitter on their mobile when driving.
I was a recently at an association meeting where RF signal blockers such as these were presented.Worth considering as a branded gift to your learners. Placing the phone inside blocks all signals within about 5 seconds.
The phone returns to normal when removed from the pack.