Coroner’s plea on mobile phones
Tuesday 1st September 2009, 7:00PM BST.
Telford’s coroner today claimed hands-free mobile phones are more dangerous to road users than drink-driving.
Michael Gwynne, coroner for Telford & Wrekin, made the comments at the end of an inquest on pedestrian Richard Garry Lafferty, a soldier who died after being hit by a car on the A518 near Muxton.
Mr Lafferty, who was a Ranger with the Royal Irish Regiment based at Tern Hill barracks near Market Drayton, had been out drinking with friends in Newport on the afternoon of March 7 this year.
The 20-year-old was hit by a black BMW car that was being driven by Telford businessman Paul Downwood just before 8.30pm.
Mr Downwood, who was not prosecuted by police following the collision, told the court he had been talking on his hands-free mobile phone seconds before the incident.
The inquest was told Mr Lafferty was two-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit and evidence suggested he had stepped out into the carriageway moments before the fatal crash.
Mr Downwood told the court he never saw Mr Lafferty but denied he had been distracted by using his phone, which is voice- activated.
But Constable Lois Ellis, of the collision investigation unit at Shrewsbury, said she had read two research papers since the crash which claimed driving while using hands-free mobile phones was “more dangerous than alcohol”.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Gwynne said: “If there is going to be a lesson to be learned I believe that it is the use of mobiles, whether hands-free or hand- held, are distracting and can impair a driver’s ability.”
He said he agreed with the research presented by Constable Ellis and added: “Using a telephone, hands-free or otherwise, is a distraction.
“I believe that distraction was the reason why he never saw Richard Lafferty in the carriageway or, if he did see him, why he couldn’t react as quickly.”
Mr Lafferty’s father Garry had earlier described his son, who had been in the Army for a year, as “full of love and full of fun”.
By Wayne Beese
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Sir
Whilst this is a truly tragic case perhaps the young man would still be alive today if there was a well lit and barriered pedestrian walkway along the road. Further to that the young man was under the influence of alcohol and walking on a high speed public road.
Perhaps concentrating on these issues rather than focusing on a driver who has been found innocent of any offence should be the Stars main direction.
A tragic case for all parties yes, but to report the use of a hands free mobile phone is more dangerous than alcohol is ludicrous.
A poor piece of reporting which will do nothing to ease the pain of all involved.
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Tricky one this.
Personally I refuse to answer the phone – hands-free or otherwise – when driving; there are too many numpties on the roads these days that demand my full attention in avoiding their brainless actions behind the wheel.
Then again, where does one stop? Ban radios? CD players? Air-con controls? Passengers? Nasal excavations? Smoking? Sun visors?
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Whilst motorcycling home from Hampshire on Saturday on a dual carriageway I was almost sideswiped by a car driver using a handheld mobile phone as he changed lanes without looking. I was just able to take evasive action and avoid a serious collision. But I hope the boot shaped dent I left in the side of his car proves suitably expensive for him to repair.
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My sympathy goes out to the driver and likewise the deceased’s love ones. By all accounts this was truly an accident that no-one knows why or how it happened.
But turning to mobile phones, it has long been known that the interactive element of a phone call is what causes the distraction, not the fact that it is held in the hands. Sadly the public wouldn’t have tolerated an outright ban, so to appease the protests of ‘phone’ related deaths they settled for hands-free legislation.
Unfortunately, whilst using a hands-free, because of the interaction distraction, you are oblivious to the loss of concentration on driving. To say your not distracted is like being in a dark room and saying there’s nothing in there.
That’s why I don’t have a hands-free.
Whilst a radio is considerably less distracting, people may be surprise to know that loud music does impact on your senses creating a distraction as you can not block it out in an ‘emergency’. It simply takes up valuable brain capacity that could otherwise be used to avoid or anticipate an accident.
I don’t drive with any music on as well.
Unfortunately, kidding yourself that you are not distracted by these things really is stupid. By all means, use radios and phones, but acknowledge you are distracted and adapt you driving accordingly to compensate for the additional risk just as you would if you had your space-saver spare tyre on.
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why on earth they haven’t banned smoking behind the wheel decades ago amazes me. It’s got to be the most dangerous thing to do. Watching people try and get a fag out of a box,then light it then try and steer, change gear while holding it and all the time hot ash could fall in their laps.
Politicians must all be heavy smokers or brain dead that’s all I can think (well we know they are the latter)
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Presumably with the advice given by the police regarding ‘hands-free’ installations we will in future not see lone officers using their radios whilst at the wheel, I feel a photo opportunity coming on…………
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Simon,traffic drivers receive training to provide commentaries whilst driving at high-speed as part of the police advanced driving courses which lasts about a month,not so those behind the wheel of the panda cars. Those are the ones to be concerned about if you see one in your rear view mirror at speed, if that’s the case I suggest you take a big deep breath and think of clouds and lambs so you are nice and relaxed, that way the whiplash won’t be half as bad :-)
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Si – (#7)
Si – you said
“Simon,traffic drivers receive training to provide commentaries whilst driving at high-speed”
If there’s ONE word I’d ban from the english languauge, it would be “training”
Training seems to be the quick fix for everything.
I don’t believe that just becuase someone has had “training” in this or that makes them superior.
What I DO believe is: Experience counts – and that takes time, a lot of it, not like a quick fix 2 or 3 week / month training course.
So the police should lead by example.
No hand held phones or other devices whilst driving.. At all
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I suppose ‘training’ is better than ‘no-training’? All rraining does is give the authorities something to use as a lever against the person trained when the wet and smelly has hit the fan.
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Bri,
Going to have to agree to disagree on the smoking front. I’ve not had one incident in 22 years of driving where fetching out, lighting, or smoking a ciggie at the wheel has in any way adversely affected my driving.
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