Brussels, 29 July 2014 - As a responsible operator, Mobistar supports the Belgian Road Safety Institute (BRSI) in its campaign for responsible mobile phone behaviour while driving. The campaign, which begins on August 4th, is designed to discourage drivers from using their mobile phone while behind the wheel – and especially when it comes to texting.
A BRSI survey shows that 90% of Belgian drivers find it unacceptable to send a text message and 85% to call with a mobile phone in hand while driving. Nevertheless, 1 in 3 drivers admit that they do sometimes send an SMS while behind the wheel. And half of them by their own admission even occasionally read an SMS while driving. Finally, 45% acknowledge having called with their mobile phone without a hands-free kit at some time in the past year.
Handling a mobile phone while behind the wheel can be dangerous and increases the risk of an accident. A Dutch study has shown that the risk of an accident is 23 times higher when sending an SMS.
Thus if we wish to stop accidents from increasing, it is essential to raise awareness about the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving. Mobistar, as a responsible operator, is therefore lending its support to this campaign to increase awareness about responsible mobile phone use behind the wheel.
Full details about the campaign can be found on the BRSI website.