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Mobile phones campaign

'Switch off before you drive off'.
Mobile phones and the law
It's now illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone when you're driving, even when you're stopped at traffic lights or in a queue of traffic. You may be fined £30. This can be increased to a maximum of £1000 (£2,500 for drivers of lorries, buses and coaches) if the matter goes to court.

This includes making or receiving calls, pictures, text messaging or accessing the Internet. You must pull over to a safe location. Risk using a hand-held mobile phone when driving, and you risk a fine.

You can also be prosecuted for using a hands-free mobile phone if you fail to have proper control of your vehicle.

Drive carelessly or dangerously when using any phone and the penalties can include disqualification, a large fine, and up to two years imprisonment.

If you are an employer, you may also be prosecuted if you require your employees to use a hand-held mobile phone when driving. It is an offence to cause or permit the use of a hand-held mobile phone when driving. It is also an offence to cause or permit a driver not to have proper control of a vehicle.

The only exception to the rule is when you need to call 999.

Attitudes to speeding

84% of people disapprove of speeding yet 69% do it.

Over 70% of drivers in one study admitted to speeding (Stradling) and in other studies (Webster & Wells) the figure was 85%.

TNS Survey results show what we really think of our other half's driving - and many of us are scared and angered when our partners speed.

The study reveals that among passengers over 60% believe that driving too fast increases the chances that their partner will crash. And emotions run high:

24% have felt angered by their significant other's speeding, which they think is 'irresponsible and stupid'.
20% are scared, and concerned that they and the driver could be killed or injured.
14% worried about the safety of other road users.
25% admit to pressing on an imaginary foot brake.
Only 1% wanted their partners to drive faster.

Key statistics

You are more likely to kill a pedestrian driving at 40mph than 30mph.

Specifically, if you hit a pedestrian while driving at 20 mph, the pedestrian has a 95% chance of survival.

If you hit an adult pedestrian while driving at 30mph, the survival chance is 80%. But if you hit a pedestrian while driving at 40mph, the pedestrian's chances of dying rises to 90%. (this lowers to 80% for a child).

General

Every driver can make a difference just by slowing down a few miles per hour and observing speed limits.

Excessive speed is a contributory factor in over 1,000 deaths and over 38,000 injuries every year.

You are not as safe as you thought - car drivers and passengers account for most road deaths.

Nearly ten people die every day on Britain's roads.

Two out of three crashes where people are killed or injured happen on roads where the speed limit is 40mph or less.

Just over half (58%) of drivers break the 30mph speed limit. (Vehicle Speeds Great Britain).

The law of physics dictate that the higher the speed at impact, the more energy must be rapidly absorbed by hard metal, soft flesh and brittle bone.

Seat belts

Not wearing a seat belt is breaking the law. You’re risking prosecution and lives. Is it really worth the risk?

You can see for yourself what can happen in an accident with our new interactive road safety website: www.thinkseatbelts.com. A 'crash simulator' explains the type of injury that can occur to highlight the risks of not wearing a seatbelt - you can try it at different speeds and with different occupants. www.thinkseatbelts.com

THINK! - make time for a break

One in five road accidents on motorways and other monotonous roads are caused by someone falling asleep at the wheel, mostly involving running off the road or into the back of another vehicle.

Sleep-related crashes are particularly dangerous and likely to result in serious injury because the driver won't have woken in time to brake before impact.
You may find yourself fighting sleep in a warm car by winding down the window or turning up the radio but you might still nod off for a couple of seconds. If you're doing 70mph on a motorway you'll have travelled an eighth of a mile in that time.

Body clock

Your body clock winds down at certain times, so driving between midnight and 6am, or 2pm to 4pm is particularly risky. Men under 30 are most likely to fall asleep at the wheel, in the early hours of the morning.

THINK! wants to warn people about the risks of driving for too long or when they're tired, and to encourage them to plan their journey so they don't reach that stage.
Radio ads push home the message 'Don't drive tired, and we have previously included this message on motorway signs and posters at service stations.