Study Finds 16pc of Commuters Talk on Phone While Driving

Hyderabad: Research on motorists in Hyderabad by the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) and two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) found that 16.5% of the 11,787 motor vehicle drivers observed were on the phone. 71.7 per cent of those found talking on the phone did so hands-free (via earphones, BlueTooth, or keeping the phone inside the helmet).

The researchers conducted a 15-minute observational study during which a video of the vehicle flow was recorded for confirmation. They looked at the relationship between mobile phone use and a variety of characteristics, such as the kind of road, the time of day, and the week. The research was carried out in Hyderabad's Madhapur IT Corridor, Ameerpet business area, and Medchal Highway industrial district.

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The type of road, the day, and the time of day all have an impact on how much time motorists spend on their phones.

Hands-free mode is used by the majority of mobile phone users while driving or riding. On weekends, this was higher than on weekdays. Non-busy roads have a greater rate than busy roads, and non-peak hours have a higher rate than peak hours. Violations of the use of mobile phones are 1.5 times greater on non-busy highways during non-peak hours and on weekends. According to researchers, the newly modified Motor Vehicles Act should contain fines for both hand-held and hands-free mobile phone use.

AP Sandhya of Karuna Trust, Lakshmi Archana of Action in Distress, Melissa Glenda Lewis, and Tetali Shailaja of IIPH, Hyderabad, conducted the study titled "Distracted Driving: Direct observation of cell phone use among motorised two-wheeler drivers in the rapidly motorising city of Hyderabad." The research was published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health.

"As per section 184 of the MV Act, whoever drives a motor vehicle in a manner dangerous to the public is liable to a fine of up to 5,000 with imprisonment of 6-12 months. The use of hand-held communication devices while driving is on the list of dangerous driving but hands-free mode is ignored," researchers have stated.

According to the local traffic police, 85,862 cases of cell phone driving have been reported in the last three years.

AV Ranganath, Hyderabad's Additional Commissioner of Police for Traffic, said, "We are booking cases under section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Of 85,862 cases in the past three years, in around 68,900 cases the fines were paid and in 16,782 fines are pending."

Around 36,566 cases of cell phone driving were reported in 2021 alone.