When Not to Drive: A Guide to the Road’s Biggest Killers

Mobile phones, drugs and tiredness – why they remain a serious threat to young drivers and other road users.

According to a report by the Campaign for Global Road Safety, traffic accidents are the ‘biggest killer of young people worldwide’. And exacerbating this issue are young drivers who dramatically increase their chance of being involved in an accident every day by taking unnecessary risks:

Lack of Sleep

**The Facts **We’ve all driven tired at some point. And many of us think that as long as we’ve had that extra cup of coffee and have the window cranked down, we’ll be okay. But it’s a distinctly unscientific approach to take. According to research by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents:

**20% **of road accidents are caused by driver fatigue.

**Up to 1/4 **of fatal and serious accidents are caused by tiredness.

**50% **of fatigue-related accidents are more likely to result in death or serious injury because such accidents usually take place at high speed; the driver is asleep at the wheel so is unable to take evasive action.

**1 in 4 **young drivers admit to driving whilst experiencing signs of fatigue.

**Male Drivers **under the age of 30 are most likely to be involved in sleep-related road accidents.

**Early Hours & After Lunch… **… are the peak times for fatigue-related accidents. **The Punishment **If a driver is found to have fallen asleep behind the wheel and someone is killed, this will be classed as a death by dangerous driving, leading to:

14 years’ imprisonment.

– For practical advice on how to avoid driving tired, head to the DVSA’s information page here. Also take the ‘Test Your Tired Self’ survey to see if you’re too tired to drive.

A highly effective safety ad about the risks of tired driving produced for Australian TV.

Driving Under the Influence

**The Facts **While we know that drink driving is like playing Russian Roulette with yours and other drivers’ lives, driving while under the influence of drugs has become a serious issue for UK motorists in recent years:

**1/4 **of all fatal car accidents are caused by being under the influence of drugs while driving according to the Transport Research Laboratory.

One in 10 young drivers have admitted to driving while under the influence of cannabis according to Institute of Advanced Motorists. That’s…

… 750,000 motorists.

**370,000 **drivers have admitted driving under the influence of Class A drugs such as cocaine.

**2nd March 2015 **The date for the introduction of a new offence for driving while under the influence of certain controlled drugs above specified limits.

**Drugs **Cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine are covered by the new offence.

One Smoke of cannabis will be enough to put a driver over the limit. The Punishment Driving or attempting to drive while under the influence of drugs will get you:

*A fine of up to £5000 and/or up to 6 months imprisonment **One year minimum driving ban *Criminal record.

Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drugs will get you:

*14 years’ imprisonment **An unlimited fine **Ban from driving for at least two years **Extended driving test before your licence is returned *Criminal record.

– Uncover the full facts about how drugs can affect your driving ability and how the police are able to test for drug-driving here.

A clever campaign from Australia again, this time tackling the misguided belief that drugs don’t impair driving ability. Plus this funny but poignant two-minute New Zealand ad is a clever and different approach to the drug-driving issue.

Distracted Driving

**The Facts **Labelled as the “the new drunk driving”, distracted driving continues to pose a lethal threat to Britain’s motorists. There are a host of ways to distract yourself when driving – from fiddling with stereos and indulging in personal grooming to eating and drinking while behind the wheel. But the biggest life-threatening distraction remains the mobile phone. You’re:

**4x **more likely to crash if using a phone hand-held or hands-free.

**50% **slower reaction times when using a phone behind the wheel.

**Eight-fold **The increased risk of crashing by young drivers when using their phone behind the wheel.

**Passengers **should remember that it is a criminal offence to ‘cause or permit’ a driver to use a hand-held mobile while driving.

**Sat Navs **are treated in exactly the same way as mobile phones if a driver is found to be using one on the move. **The Punishment **If caught using a hand-held phone while driving, you’ll get:

*A £100 fine **Three points on your licence **If caught twice, you will lose your licence *Prison sentence if you cause an accident and kill someone.

View Volkswagen’s clever social experiment about the dangers of distracted driving, which went viral earlier this year.