South Lanarkshire Council is raising awareness for Scots Road Safety Week which began yesterday.
The council is spreading road safety messages and urging residents to be careful when driving to mark the national road safety week which runs until Sunday (March 27).
The local authority tweeted: “Using your mobile phone to message, search a map or access social media at the traffic lights is dangerous and illegal. Keep all road users in your sight and give them space!”
The council also provided information on how to be safe when driving and to avoid distractions.
Being distracted when driving is dangerous and can harm others, a driver is distracted if they pay attention to other activities when driving – this can lead to poorer driving standards and in some cases, a collision.
There are three different types of distractions – physical distractions, cognitive distractions and visual and audio distractions.
Physical distractions cause the driver to take one or both hands off the steering wheel – this can include to message, make a phone call, check the sat nav or to eat.
Cognitive distractions is when attention is being drawn away from the task of driving, for example if the driver is thinking about something else, or using a hands-free phone or has problems on their mind.
Visual and audio distractions result in the eyes of the driver being taken off the road; this includes loud music playing inside the car, looking at things outside the car, unexpected noise or movement from passengers or trying to read a sat nav.
These distractions can be a huge issue for drivers, it can make them look less at their mirrors and be less aware of what is going on.
A result of these distractions may cause the driver to not be prepared for the impact that a distraction may have, be less able to spot hazards, not be aware of their environment, have difficulty controlling speed and distance and can increase the likelihood of an accident.
Mobile phones can also cause a huge distraction; drivers are four times more likely to crash, resulting in injury or death to themselves or others if they use a mobile phone while driving.
The penalty for using a phone while driving is six points on your licence and a £200 fine, if you have passed your test in the last two years you will lose your licence.
Scots Road Safety week is the first ever event dedicated to safe driving in Scotland, throughout the week activities will be held – including the Road Safety Scotland Seminar on March 23.
Police Scotland’s North East division will focus on older drivers and Police Scotland East Command will focus on drug driving and speeding.
Drivers are urged to be safe and take a pledge to sat we’re ‘Working together to make Scotland’s roads safer.’
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