Can a law stop distracted driving?

Thousands of people get injured or die all over the world in distracted driving accidents every year, including more than 3,400 in 2015, according to a US data released in 2015. The Philippine National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) shows that in 2006, cellphone use while driving is ranked as the 12th most common cause of traffic accidents. From 2001 to 2006, traffic accidents caused by cellphone use while driving increased more than five times in the Philippines, the highest increase among causes of traffic accidents.

The Philippines is hoping to do something about it.  A law went into effect in the Philippines last week which aims of cutting down the number of distracted drivers.

As traffic incidents rise at the fastest rate in the last half-century, many countries have taken steps to reduce distracted driving. But while countries like Singapore ban the holding of mobile phone by drivers, only the Philippines prohibits holding any gadget or mounting it a location that limits their line of sight – defined as the whole windshield and the top of the dashboard.

With this new law, signed by President Duterte and became effective last May 15, the Philippines has probably gone further than most countries  in prohibiting the use of mobile phones: It is barring drivers from even holding mobile devices, or mounting it on the windshield or on top of the dashboard.

The law builds on earlier legislation that prevented drivers from talking and texting but did not prohibit them from touching the phone while using mobile apps, for instance, navigational devices. The earlier law has not included all forms of distractions like gadgets mounted in the line of sight, even stuff toys or decorations mounted on the dashboard. Read about it LTO website www.lto.gov.ph/latest-advisory/317-republic-act-10913-or-the-anti-distracted-driving-act.html.

But will this law be effective in minimizing distracted driving?  It is common knowledge that if you pass a law, you have to follow it up with strong enforcement.  The law unfortunately has a few unclear definitions that will make it difficult to enforce.  The boundaries of the "line of sight" are one of the definitions that should clearly be specified as these will be avenues for subjective interpretation by the drivers and the apprehending enforcers.

With the law in place, the government should also be encouraging automakers to develop systems to reduce driver distractions. Anti- collision features such as forward-collision warnings and automatic emergency braking should be standard in all cars.  Technological measures should be explored further especially those that are intended to help prevent front-to-rear crashes.  These systems though are not going to reduce driver distraction, but they will help cope with some of the consequences that come with drivers not paying attention.

At the end of the day, no law or system can stop the driver from getting distracted.  The driver has to have that bit of common sense not to mix driving with anything else. Studies in the US shows that 2 seconds of texting or reading while driving can greatly increase the chances of an accident.  As motorist increase rapidly per year, driving has never been a greater task than before. You have to remember that it's not what you're doing with your hands but what your brain is doing.

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