Sussex Safer Roads Partnership has launched a pioneering piece of technology in attempts to raise awareness of mobile phone users whilst driving.
The Vehicle Activated Sign, known as a VAS, will be able to detect if drivers are using their mobile phones, whenever they pass by the sign.
A company called Thermotor has developed this advancement, and it will be used for a short trial period in Brighton and Hove before they expand throughout Sussex, if found successful.
Although it has been against the law for 14 years now, results have shown that the use of mobile phones in vehicles is still a prominent issue on Britain’s roads.
Recently in an IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) survey after questioning 500 people,
results proved that 18% have used the Internet while driving and 8% of those questioned admitted to
using video apps such as Facetime and Skype. 7% of people also said they
watched videos and ‘catch- up television’, whilst 9% stated they took ‘selfies’ whilst
being behind the wheel.
(The new gadget may look
familiar to most)
A spokesperson for Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, has described the new technology as “entirely educational” and is to “alert drivers to the law and spark behavioural change”. This is in relation to studies that have shown that drivers using a hands free or handheld mobile phone react slower to hazards, which may cause fatal accidents.