AN OPERATION TARGETING drivers using their mobiles showed a marked increase in those being caught using their phone behind the wheel.
Figures from operation, which took place over three hours on Saturday morning, show that more than 110 drivers were caught holding a mobile phone while driving, despite advance warning of this operation being released to the public.
The average daily detection rate in 2015 was 76.
Gardaí have described the figure as disappointing adding that such distractions contribute to crashes and deaths on our roads.
CEO of the Road Safety Authority, Moyagh Murdock, said “Your mobile phone makes you four times more likely to crash.
But if you are texting you are a staggering twenty-three times more likely to be involved in a collision. When you use your mobile behind the wheel, taking your mind and eyes off the road for just a split second can destroy everything forever.
She added, “We’re asking drivers to realise how their phones take their attention away from the task at hand. And having your full attention is never more important than when you have the lives of other road users in your hands.”
Meanwhile Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid said, “Any distraction, not only mobile phones, can cause a momentary lapse in concentration which could lead to your vehicle veering off course, or preventing you from noticing the red traffic light or the child playing on the road.”
Gardaí say they are planning to carry out more targeted operations over the coming days.
“We urge all drivers to make that personal choice to put away the mobile phone and concentrate fully on their driving, for their and all other road users safety.”
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