Motorists in the Cayman Islands have a
couple of weeks to unlearn some unsafe habits while driving on our roadways.
Come 21 September police will stop and fine
those who are talking, texting, bbm’ing or doing anything else with their hands
as they relate to a phone device.
Those who are ticketed will face a $150
fine. While we believe the punishment could hit a bit harder in the wallet, we
are happy to see this law finally coming into play.
There have been several studies worldwide
about the dangers of using a cell phone while behind the wheel of a motorised
vehicle.
Take a gander at some of them from the
United States:
Distraction from cell phone use while
driving (hand held or hands free) extends a driver’s reaction as much as having
a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 per cent. (University
of Utah)
The No.1 source of driver inattention is
use of a wireless device. (Virginia Tech/NHTSA)
Drivers that use cell phones are four times
as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (NHTSA,
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
10 per cent of drivers aged 16 to 24 years
old are on their phone at any one time.
Driving while distracted is a factor in 25
per cent of police reported crashes.
Driving while using a cell phone reduces
the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 per cent (Carnegie Mellon)
While the law does not impose an outright
ban on the use of mobile phones as some have advocated, it does set
restrictions as to how and when phones may be used.
Drivers will still be able to use their
phones, but only if their vehicles contain the equipment to let them do so
hands-free. That means that some people will have to upgrade their cell phones
to be able to make them compatible with the law and some vehicles will have to
be outfitted to accommodate devices such as Bluetooth. We have been forewarned.
It’s time to shut up and drive.
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