Vehicle users consider distracted driving due to mobile phone among top causes of accidents: Survey

New Delhi: Mobile phones are a real distraction while driving with 97% of respondents in major metro cities of India considering it the top cause of accidents in the country, according to a Ford Cartesy survey.

Revealing lack of traffic rule awareness among Indian road users, the survey also found that only 6% of respondents scored more than 50% on questions simulating a driving licence test.

In its third edition the Ford Cartesy survey brings forth underlying triggers and barriers to ideal road behaviour and highlights the need for an extensive and holistic road safety education programme to lay the foundations for safer and saner road use, automaker Ford India said in a statement.

The survey, which conducted total 1,561 interviews in six metro cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad – in the second half of 2020, also found that Kolkata and Chennai had the most ideal road users among the six.

Underlining that mobile phone is a real distraction, the survey said while 1 in 3 respondents feel the traffic situation in their city varies between very bad to extremely bad, 97% think ‘Distracted Driving’ due to use of the mobile phone and 81% think ‘Aggressive Driving’ are the top causes of accidents in the country.

On average, nearly half of the commuters admitted to not displaying ideal behaviour that adheres to compliance, caution, and compassion.

“Distracted driving comes up as the most deviant behaviour to compliance, with 58% respondents admitting to talking on the phone while driving, 63% finding it ok to seat their kids in the front row, and 58% drive even when they are feeling sleepy,” it added.

The survey also found a lack of knowledge about traffic rules with less than a third – 27% scoring over 40% and an abysmally low 6% of them getting more than 50% answers right in a 31-question simulation of traffic rules.

However, only one in 10 respondents attributed the lack of knowledge about traffic rules as a potential risk to road safety, it added.

Stating that genuine compassion is still a long way, the survey said 53% of respondents confessed they don’t always make way for emergency vehicles like an ambulance or fire truck, while 57% do not mind throwing eatables, empty wrappers and fruit peels on the road.

When it comes to cities with the most ideal road users, Kolkata and Chennai topped among six metro cities and the two cities also scored the highest on three-tier Cartesy framework of compliance, caution and compassion.

Commenting on the findings, Ford India Executive Director – Marketing, Sales & Service, Vinay Raina said: “The Ford Cartesy survey in its third year is not a critique of users, road infrastructure or enforcement authorities but highlights how ‘mindfulness’ demonstrated by every single citizen can help make roads a safer and saner place.”