Theresa May is encouraging the public to shame friends and family practicing this distracted driving.
According to British Prime Minister Theresa May, drivers taking part in mobile phone use should be shamed by family and friends. She equated the danger of smartphone use behind the wheel to drunk driving. Her goal is to make the practice socially unacceptable in order to make roads safer.
Prime Minister May’s comments are not without support from scientific study from many countries.
Many governments have been watching growing lists of statistics being added to other evidence about mobile phone use by drivers. In many regions of the world, using a smartphone – whether talking, texting or for some other purpose – causes distraction that is the same or more dangerous than driving drunk.
PM May called for people to make this practice socially unacceptable in order to save lives on U.K. roads. She wants people to shame their friends and family who would use their mobile devices while they drive.
This represents the first time her government has addressed mobile phone use distracting drivers.
The statement arrived at a time when the number of crashes – some of which included fatalities – are rising in the country due to distracted drivers using mobile phones. She addressed drivers of cars, trucks and every other type of vehicle. She also stated that there is an upcoming review that will be looking to stiffen the penalties for dangerous driving if appropriate.
The May government also revealed more details with regards to its own intentions for boosting distracted driving penalties. They are aiming to set an immediate six point penalty to anyone caught using a mobile phone while operating a car or other vehicle. Moreover, this penalty will not allow for exceptions or exemptions. Therefore, first-time offenders and young drivers will not be let off the hook.
When May spoke of mobile phone use by drivers behind the wheel, she said that public awareness of the dangers are key. “Just as we have made it socially unacceptable to drink and drive, so we need to do the same with using a mobile phone while driving.”
your smartphone can make just as much of a difference to your experience as it does when you’re not on your motorcycle. It’s true that distracted riding is just as dangerous as distracted driving. However, that doesn’t mean that your smartphone can’t play an important role in helping you get more out of every trip.
You can still get away from it all while enjoying the features some great riding apps can provide.
In fact, instead of distracting you from the road, they can actually help to improve your safety. The key is to make sure you don’t forget your mobile motorcycle phone charger so you can keep your device charged. Without a power socket or USB port on your bike, it’s up to you to have a good backup battery bank to get the job done.
The following are some of the best apps currently available for motorcycle riders:
Eat Sleep Ride – a solid all around motorcycle app that offers everything from group ride tracking to route planning and sharing and even ride replay. It also features CRASHLIGHT which works with your accelerometer to detect if a crash has happened. If you don’t deactivate its warning after a small amount of time, it automatically alerts emergency personnel of the situation and your precise location.
Waze – this is the biggest traffic navigations and directions app in the world. It shares road and traffic conditions so you can get information about your route in real time. While it was developed with commuter drivers in mind, its design makes it perfect for riders, too. One fantastic feature is that it can help you to find the best spots to get cheap gas along your route, too.
FuelLog – this is an amazing gas and fuel mileage tracker that also lets you monitor additional issues such as motorcycle maintenance and costs. It provides you with automatic calculation of certain handy stats like mileage. That said, it can also give you a pretty good average cost per distance or tell you the amount of gas needed. It can tell you how much you’re spending on fuel every year or month, how far you’ve ridden and a great deal more.
NOAA Weather Radar – knowing the weather along your route is super handy. This app lets riders have a look at what Doppler radars say you’ll be riding through on your route. This is highly useful for route planning.
