Being distracted at the wheel is the number one cause of road accidents, according to police in the canton of Vaud, who are increasing roadside checks over the next few weeks to try to drum home their ‘pay attention’ message.
Last year, there were 596 road accidents in Vaud due to drivers being distracted, including 220 where people were injured and a further 12 where someone was killed. That’s an increase of more than 70 per cent in fatal accidents compared to the previous year.
Using phones at the wheel is one of the main causes of drivers taking their eyes off the road. Police say that writing a text message while driving increases the risk of an accident by five times and is equivalent to driving with your eyes closed for four to six seconds.
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