It's Not Smart to use a Smartphone when Driving

Driving is a highly unpredictable and risky activity requiring our full concentration at all times. Drivers who divide their attention between their phone and the road are significantly increasing their risk of causing a devastating crash.

Reading and writing messages – whether texting, emailing or using apps or social networks – while driving is even more distracting than talking on a phone, as it takes your mind, hands and eyes off the road. Texting drivers’ reaction times are 35% slower and they also have poor lane control. One large-scale study found texting drivers were 23 times more likely to crash than a driver paying full attention.

A recent survey by Brake, the road safety charity, revealed that  around half of drivers aged between 25 and 34 are taking huge risks by texting, using apps or going online on their mobiles when they are behind the wheel.

• Almost half of drivers aged 25-34 use apps while driving (49%)
• More than half of 25-34 year olds read or write text messages while driving (55%)
• Drivers aged 18-35 are most likely to text or use apps behind the wheel

In addition, one in five young drivers (18-24) confirmed they regularly text and/or instant message when they are behind the wheel.

Reaching for a mobile phone can be an irresistible temptation for some, despite knowledge of the risks. In the UK, experts have warned of increasing levels of smartphone addiction by users who are unable to go without checking their phone for short periods.


Brake advises motorists to put mobile phones on silent and out of reach when driving to avoid any distraction.

The Good Garage Scheme supports the charity Brake and is grateful to share their advice in this week's blog. For more information about Brake, please visit www.brake.org.uk

For full report from Brake, visit their website.

New smartphone or tablet for Christmas?

If you are one of the many lucky ones who received a new smartphone or tablet device in your Christmas stocking, you may be downloading new apps and learning how easy it is to access your favourite games, social media, news and useful websites at the touch of a button.

What is an "app"?

For those who are still new to the world of apps, it is not complicated. "App" is short for application software that is designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices such as iPods. They can be downloaded either free of charge or for a listed price from app stores such as iTunes or Google Play.

The Good Garage Scheme created its free app for iPhone in 2010 and then for Android smartphones the following year. So far over 12,000 users have downloaded the app and The Sunday Times even voted it one of the World's Top Apps in 2011 and 2012.

It is a handy app to have on your phone when you are driving in the UK. You never know when you will need to find a trustworthy garage, and there are also some handy tips on how to check your oil so that you can keep your car maintained between services.

To download your free app, simply click here.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year from the Good Garage Scheme.

Make the Road Safety Pledge

The Good Garage Scheme supported Road Safety Week last week by encouraging visitors to its website to "Make the Pledge". The Good Garage Scheme and Miles Better tweeted and sent messages of support via Facebook and Twitter and dedicated a page of its website to the charity's campaign.

Brake, the road safety charity, ran its Road Safety Week from 18th-24th November to help prevent appalling crashes caused by multitasking at the wheel. The "Tune in to Road Safety" campaign appealed to drivers to turn off their phones or put them in the boot and urges everyone to refuse to speak on the phone to someone who’s driving. It is launched a decade after hand-held mobiles were banned at the wheel and coincides with the week-long enforcement campaign.

Facts on driver distraction from BRAKE:

• Driving is the most dangerous thing most of us do on a regular basis: operating a potentially dangerous machine in an unpredictable, public environment requires full concentration at all times. 
• In the UK, Ofcom has warned of increasing levels of smartphone addiction by users who are unable to go without checking their phone for short periods or through the night. Statistics from The Communications Market 2011, Ofcom, 2011
• It is believed around one in five crashes could be caused, at least in part, by driver distraction and drivers who perform a secondary task at the wheel are two to three times as likely to crash.  Study data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2006
• Some very complex tasks, like talking on a phone, whether hand-held or hands-free, increase this risk even more. From study by University of Western Australia, 2005
• The effect of talking on a phone on driving has been shown to be worse than drinking certain levels of alcohol. Driver reaction times are 30% slower while using a hands-free phone than driving with a blood alcohol level of 80mg alcohol per 100ml blood (the current UK limit) and nearly 50% slower than driving normally and soberly.
  Transport Research Laboratory, 2009
• Other forms of distraction not involving technology also cause risk. If you're eating or drinking at the wheel, you are less able to react; some studies have suggested the risk is as great as when talking on a phone. Brunel University, 2008
• Heightened emotions such as stress, anger or upset are cognitive distractions that significantly impede your ability to drive safely. The level of distraction depends on the level of distress. The Open University, 2011

According to Brake, drivers caught using a hand-held phone at the wheel to call or text face a (recently increased) fixed penalty notice of £100 and three points or may be offered a course instead of taking points. 

In 2012, more than 10,000 drivers caught using their phone at the wheel took a ‘What’s Driving Us’ course instead of opting for points. In some cases, drivers may go to court and face disqualification and a maximum fine of £1,000. 

Drivers who cause a crash and kill someone while using a phone could face up to 14 years in prison. Worst still they they will have to live with the knowledge that someone died because of their decision to use their phone at the wheel. 

If you haven't done so already, Make the Pledge to drive more responsibly.

More Motorists Download Good Garage Scheme's Free App

The Good Garage Scheme's TV ad appearing on SKY TV this week has really caused a stir.
Not only has the website been busy, but the number of motorists downloading the Good Garage Scheme's free app has increased by over 200%.

 

In fact over 200 motorists have downloaded the app in the first three days of the campaign.
The Good Garage Scheme's television ad shows a motorist searching for a Good Garage Scheme member on her iPhone and it is as easy as it looks. If you haven't seen the Good Garage Scheme ad for yourself, please visit www.goodgaragescheme.com/tv-advert.

To download the Free Good Garage Scheme app for your smartphone, simply visit www.GoodGarageScheme.com/smartphone-app and follow the links to download the free app available for android devices and iPhones. It's peace of mind for the next time you need to find a garage you can trust, wherever you travel in the UK. 

It's like having a friend in the know!