Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 11: Mobile phones are a real distraction while driving with 97 per cent of respondents in major metro cities of India considering it the top cause of accidents in the country, according to a Ford Cartesy survey.
“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 per cent think ‘Distracted Driving’ due to use of the mobile phone and 81 per cent think ‘Aggressive Driving’ are the top causes of accidents in the country.
“Distracted driving comes up as the most deviant behaviour to compliance, with 58 per cent respondents admitting to talking on the phone while driving, 63 per cent finding it ok to seat their kids in the front row, and 58 per cent 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 per cent scoring over 40 per cent and an abysmally low 6 per cent of them getting more than 50 per cent answers right in a 31-question simulation of traffic rules.
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.”
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