Drivers are causing accidents and major delays on Melbourne’s motorways, with more motorists distracted while behind the wheel.
According to recent Finder research, three out of five drivers admitted to driving unsafely behind the wheel.
The research revealed that food is the biggest distraction, as almost half of Australian drivers have eaten behind the wheel.
Drivers are causing accidents and major delays on Melbourne’s motorways, with more motorists distracted while behind the wheel. (new)
Transurban road safety chief Liz Waller said the increasingly common behavior was worrisome.
“We’ve found that about 50 percent of accidents on our network are back crashes or side crashes,” he said.
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Waller said in June drivers spent an average of about four additional hours in traffic when an incident occurred.
Common distractions include drivers using the phone, eating and putting on make-up and combing their hair.
About half of all crashes were found to be rear-end collisions or vehicles that slid the sides of other cars. (new)
“They even send text messages, send emails, some people even shave,” said Taylor Blackburn of Finder.
Transurban is tackling distracted driving with new signage and extended line markings at Citylink’s Point Road / Batman Avenue exit.
Transurban road safety chief Liz Waller said the increasingly common behavior was worrisome. (new)
Drivers are asked to enter the left lane first.
The authority says the introduction of these simple measures has reduced back crashes by 75 percent and side-impact accidents by 66 percent.
“Leave the phones, please do your cleaning at home and eat breakfast at home too,” Waller said.