'Disappointing' driving habits that could be costing a Midlands lifesaving charity thousands of pounds
'Disappointing' driving habits have been revealed in a region-wide survey of more than 1,000 people.
Midlands Air Ambulance, which is facing a £5 million loss this year due to coronavirus, has warned that not making an effort to reduce distractions while behind the wheel could be costing the charity thousands of pounds.
The YouGov survey, which polled people across the Midlands – including Shropshire and Staffordshire, was conducted as part of the charity and corporate partner M6toll’s Drive4Life campaign.
Recent figures show that despite the nation going into lockdown earlier this year, demand for the local lifesaving charity did not falter, and road traffic collisions involving push bikes rose during March and June by 400 per cent year on year.
The Drive4Life survey has highlighted that more than one in 10 respondents aged 35-44 said they had sent texts, emails or had been on social media while driving.
When asked what actions were taken in a two-month period to reduce how distracted they felt when driving, those in the same age category showed that only 44 per cent planned their journey ahead of starting their drive.
Meanwhile, only one in five take regular breaks on long journeys.
Collisions
Ian Roberts, air operations manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “On average, the flight doctors and critical care paramedics on board our air ambulance helicopters and critical care cars attend up to 700 road traffic collisions per year.
"The results of the survey are disappointing to read, but unfortunately it reflects the demographic of a number of people who are most likely to need our pre-hospital clinical expertise, which is the 35 to 50-year-old bracket.”
As each air ambulance mission requires on average £2,500 of funding, road traffic collisions cost the charity up to £1.75 million each year, which is entirely funded through donations from the public and local businesses.
The Drive4Life survey also showed 10 per cent of all respondents, aged 18 and above, thought it was legal to use a mobile phone while driving if it was being used as a sat-nav at the same time, and a further 12 per cent were uncertain if it was legal or not.
Furthermore, just over a fifth of those surveyed who have pets did not know that legally animals must be restrained in a vehicle by way of a pet seatbelt or safety guard.
Incident
Ian said: “Multitasking and distractions both outside and in a vehicle can mean a driver’s concentration on the road is affected, reducing their driving standard.
"This could ultimately lead to an incident – potentially with life-threatening or life changing consequences.
"We would urge all drivers to think about how they can limit the number of distractions to potentially help reduce the number of incidents that take place.”
James Hodson, director of motorway operations for Midland Expressway Limited, operators of the M6toll and Drive4Life campaign partners, added: “Safety on the M6toll is one of our key priorities, and we are pleased to have been able to partner with Midlands Air Ambulance Charity to help raise awareness of the most common distractions witnessed on the UK’s road network in an attempt to keep all road users safe.
"Taking a break is the best way to refresh and revive yourself on a long drive."
For more information on Drive4Life, visit midlandsairambulance.com/drive4life
Find out more about Midlands Air Ambulance, including how you can help the charity, at midlandsairambulance.com
