More than 9 000 eThekwini motorists have been fined this year for using their cellphones while driving.
Figures on the number of crashes caused by the distraction of cellphones are not available, but transport officials and specialists say there has been a definite increase in cellphone-related crashes.
Acknowledging a problem in Durban with drivers using their cellphones, metro police spokesman, Senior Superintendent Eugene Msomi, said there was no need to increase penalties for motorists – efficient, targeted enforcement would deter it. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter had worsened the trend, he said. “It is a problem and we are concerned about it,” Msomi said.
Motorists using cellphones, be it talking or sending SMSes, face a R500 fine. “There is no specific charge for texting while driving; drivers are charged under the broad charge of using a cellphone while driving,” he said.
Enforcement measures, said Msomi, were being improved and repeat offenders were being monitored.
“Instead of looking at heavier fines, innovative educational exercises, coupled with efficient targeted enforcement, would be more beneficial. Drivers need to be educated to be more responsible and considerate as opposed to fearing heavy fines,” he said, adding that third-time offenders were arrested.
Msomi’s concern comes after rescue service ER24 recently advised motorists to refrain from using cellphones, “especially if it requires the driver to type”.
ER24 spokesman, Andre Visser, said an increasing percentage of road accidents throughout South Africa involved reports of cellphones being the distraction.
“Unfortunately, no figures are available to indicate the number of crashes as a result of the use of cellphones, but it is very high. If this is not addressed, then we are certainly heading for a potential problem as technology evolves.
“Information can be distributed at a drop of a dime these days. The simplicity of it all is remarkable and even a little deceiving as we think we can do this while operating a few hundred kilograms of moving motor vehicle,” he said.
Visser said the use of phones while driving had at first been curbed with the introduction of hands-free devices. But it had resurfaced as social media and messaging became more popular.
“Only a few techies out there may know this, but an extraordinary event in the realm of technology occurred last month. The sales per unit of smartphones exceeded those of personal computers for the first time ever.
“It is therefore easy to see that information-craving humans and businessmen everywhere want one thing: everything needs to be right there in their pockets,” he said.
Visser also referred to a 2009 study in the US, showing that texting or e-mailing while driving may be more dangerous than that of driving under the influence.
“You don’t see people talking on their phones any more but you see them looking down on their laps or passenger seats, which indicates that they are either texting or e-mailing. Never mind the fact that it is illegal, but it is a very dangerous practice which could end up claiming lives,” he warned.
Earlier this year, the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s Ashref Ismail said research had proved that a motorist had a four-times greater chance of being involved in a car crash when using a cellphone.
“Texting almost doubles that chance, so any effort to discourage the use of cellphones while driving is encouraged,” he said.
Colin Govender, Chief Provincial Inspector in KwaZulu-Natal, said 584 motorists had been fined this year for using cellphones on provincial roads.
“The illegal practice is a major contributor to road accidents and it seems to be increasing... not a day goes by where you don’t see a motorist either talking or texting on the phone,” he said, adding that Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) had decided to add the practice to its list of critical offences.
KZN Transport spokesman, Kwanele Ncalane, said the department had decided to launch a cellphone awareness campaign in October to curb the practice.
“It’s very worrying because we know that using cellphones while driving does contribute to the number of crashes and fatalities on the country’s roads,” he said.
Ncalane said the department was considering confiscating the vehicles of serial offenders.
Transport MEC Willies Mchunu recently commissioned the newly launched integrated traffic law enforcement committee to investigate the legality of such action.
“Motorists who continuously ignore the law and accumulate fines for offences will be the ones affected by the proposed law. We want to teach errant motorists that they can no longer break the law and think that they can run away from it,” said Ncalane.
Angelo Haggiyannes, of Auto & General Insurance, said drivers on cellphones were not only a road safety issue: “You can become a soft target for hijackers and smash-and-grabbers who can easily spot that you are not paying attention.
“Cellphone usage behind the wheel has contributed to an increasing number of accidents, injuries and fatalities on the roads and studies show that it’s not only the act of holding and manipulating a cellphone while driving that increases the risk of an accident, but the phone conversation as well.
“That’s because the driver’s focus is on the conversation and not the road where it should be,” he said.
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