Using the phone while driving - unpredictable dangers

High risk of accident

Nowadays, mobile phones are considered an indispensable item for many people, especially young people. Accordingly, phones are used to listen, call, text, go online,... anytime, anywhere, even when driving. However, using a phone while driving brings many risks.

In fact, with a motorbike, driving with one hand is not as safe and secure as with two hands. Moreover, holding the phone in the left hand will prevent the motorbike driver from using the combined braking system of the scooter when encountering unexpected situations. This can easily lead to accidents.

For cars, using a phone with one hand will make the driver lose focus while driving, and at the same time, cannot react promptly to unexpected situations. There have been many people who, because of using their mobile phones, cross the road without observing, change direction without signaling, forget to stop at red lights... affecting other vehicles on the road, even causing accidents.

Driving and talking on the phone at the same time poses many potential risks of accidents. Photo: D.C.

For example, at the end of October 2019, while driving home, passing Cau Bung intersection, the phone in the pocket of Mr. Truong Duc H., residing in Dien Ky, Dien Chau district, suddenly vibrated. Although he was driving at a fairly high speed, Mr. H. did not stop but put his hand in his pocket to take out his phone to answer.

Because he was engrossed in his phone, when he saw a passerby, Mr. H. did not react in time and crashed into a milestone on the side of the road. Luckily, he survived, but Mr. H.'s family had to spend a large amount of money on brain surgery.

This is one of many cases of accidents caused by using a phone while driving. However, in reality, many people still do not give up the habit of driving while talking on the phone or texting, listening to music while driving... Mr. Duong Sy Dan, residing in Block 8, Le Loi Ward, Vinh City, complained: Many drivers are so engrossed in their cell phones that when stopping at a red light at a three-way or four-way intersection, even though the light is green, they still do not know to let their vehicles pass, despite the many cars behind honking loudly...

Driving and using the phone at the same time distracts the driver's mind and affects his ability to observe. Photo: Hai Vuong

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham, resident of Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc district, was upset: "The most frightening thing when going out on the street is meeting people who are driving and using their phones at the same time, not paying attention to the direction of travel, even when turning left or right, they don't remember to signal and just speed away."

Ms. Tham's indignation is not without basis, because in addition to people participating in traffic without awareness, with the increasing appearance of online shopping and delivery services. Online delivery teams mainly use motorbikes and scooters and use phones to communicate, locate and search for customers' addresses, therefore, they will not pay attention to observation and control speed when participating in traffic.

The fine is not enough of a deterrent.

To increase deterrence, according to Decree 100/2019/ND-CP on penalties for traffic violations, which will be applied from January 1, 2020, the penalties for violations will increase significantly compared to the previous Decree 46/2016/ND-CP. Notably, the regulation increases the administrative penalty for using a phone while driving.

For drivers of cars and similar vehicles using mobile phones while driving on the road, they will be fined from 1-2 million VND. Thus, compared to Decree 46/2016, the administrative fine for drivers using mobile phones while driving on the road as prescribed in Decree 100/2019 will increase from 400 thousand VND - 1.2 million VND.

Previously, for the same violation, Decree 46/2016 stipulated a fine of only 600,000 - 800,000 VND. In addition to the fine, the driver who commits the violation and causes a traffic accident will have his/her driving license revoked for 2 - 4 months.

Similar to car drivers, administrative fines for motorcyclists using mobile phones have also increased. Specifically, Point h, Clause 4, Article 6 of Decree 100/2019 stipulates a fine of VND 600,000 to VND 1 million for motorcyclists, motorbikes (including electric motorbikes), motorbike-like vehicles and motorbike-like vehicles, using umbrellas, mobile phones, audio devices, except hearing aids. Previously, this behavior in Decree 46/2016 only resulted in a fine of VND 100,000 to 200,000.

The above regulations are basically strict, but the awareness of traffic participants is still not high, violations are still common, regardless of the provisions of the law. According to the analysis of the authorities, driving and using the phone at the same time makes the driver's mind distracted, the ability to observe is affected, the vehicle control is less responsive, if encountering an unexpected situation on the road, will be confused, not handling it in time, then an accident is inevitable.

A bus driver in Nghe An was once fined for driving and using his phone at the same time. Photo: facebook

In addition, there are cases where people using their phones while driving are followed by bad guys who snatch their phones, endangering themselves and other road users. Such was the case with Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, residing in Cua Lo Town, in the evening at the end of December 2019 on Ho Tung Mau Street (Vinh City). While Ms. Nga was driving and talking on the phone, suddenly two young men on a motorbike approached and snatched her phone. Because she was so surprised, Ms. Nga fell off her bike, luckily she only suffered minor injuries, and her phone worth nearly 5 million VND was gone.

Through discussions with us, many traffic police said that although the traffic police force still regularly checks and handles cases of using phones while participating in traffic. However, handling them is not without difficulties, because the behavior happens quickly, it is difficult to collect evidence, and some violators even deny it... Especially for cars, many cars now have frosted or tinted windows, so detection and handling is not simple.

Traffic police of Vinh City Police handle a case of using a phone while driving. Photo: HV

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duy Ha - Head of the Traffic Police Team of Vinh City Police said: Using a phone while driving often leads to violations such as running red lights, turning left or right without signaling, not giving way to priority vehicles... because at that time the driver is not focused. However, in many cases, when fined and asked about the reason for the violation, they said they did not know there was a prohibition. However, there are also many people who admit that they know that driving while talking on a cell phone is a violation of the law, but they cite the reason "too urgent to stop in time".

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year more than 1.25 million people die and 20-50 million others are injured in traffic accidents. People who regularly use their phones are four times more likely to have an accident than those who are focused on driving. Therefore, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee has annually launched propaganda on this issue, but it has not yet created awareness among each citizen.

Mr. Vo Minh Duc, Chief of Office of Provincial Traffic Safety Committee

Therefore, to thoroughly address the behavior of using phones while driving, functional agencies and local governments need to strengthen propaganda and raise awareness among people. Along with that, the traffic police force needs to take strong action and promptly handle violations to gradually deter and end this behavior.

On the part of traffic participants, it is necessary to clearly see the harmful effects and stop this behavior. In cases where it is necessary to use the phone, the driver should stop the vehicle completely to use it comfortably and safely for both himself and those around him.

Dang Nguyen