In Wallonia, nearly 8 in 10 drivers (77%) admit that they cannot resist the temptation to use their phones while driving. This is according to a survey by the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) published on Thursday, World Mobile Phone Free Day.

In Wallonia, an average of 16 accidents with deaths or injuries are caused each week by using a phone while driving.

Nomophobia

Although it is now common knowledge that being distracted at the wheel by using a cell phone can have serious consequences, and the authorities are increasing the chances of being caught by using cameras, more and more Walloons seem to be suffering from a typical ailment of our time, namely nomophobia, an excessive fear of not being constantly accessible via a cell phone.

About 7 in 10 Walloon motorists (68%) say they are bothered by it, while half of the approximately 1,000 people surveyed (57%) say they feel the need always to be reachable. A third (34%) admit they can’t go an hour without their cell phone to check their messages or surf the Internet.

Especially young people

Those phone addicts also admit that they use their cell phones just more when they are locked in the cocoon of their car, which obviously increases the risk of an accident because the driver is distracted.

The survey shows that 6 out of 10 motorists often use their phones to make or answer calls while driving. About 23%, or 1 in 4 Walloons, also admit to sending messages while driving (from text messages and emails to comments on social networks), while 30% admit that they also sometimes read on their screens.

One in five drivers (18%) sometimes participate in video calls. These are all distractions that can increase the risk of an accident by up to ten times.

Young drivers between 18 and 34 do it conspicuously more often than other drivers. They are twice as likely to write messages and participate in video calls as older drivers: 41% versus 15% of over-35s and 32% versus 12%, respectively.

Stricter control

The AWSR recommends always preparing for your trip, setting your GPS before driving, turning on ‘do not disturb’ mode on your phone, and choosing hands-free mode in an emergency. A simple phone call with a cell phone in hand already doubles the risk of an accident compared to an alert driver.

Calling while driving can incur a fine of 174 euros (+ administrative costs). In parts of Flanders (Halle-Vilvoorde, Limburg, and West-Flanders), drivers also automatically lose their driving license for 15 days if the police catch them using their cell phones while driving.

The new government agreement, approved last night, also states that “a legal framework, with respect for all applicable privacy rules, should make it possible to determine phone use behind the wheel using an unmanned automatic device.”