Miros: Number of deaths is high due to careless driving

PETALING JAYA: Careless driving tops the list of non-aggressive driving offences, said the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research.

According to Miros research fellow Karen Goonting, police attributed 475 cases of careless driving in 2011 as the cause of accidents that resulted in 182 deaths, 88 serious injuries and 205 minor injuries.

“It’s alarming that the number of deaths is high for careless driving because they are much more preventable than aggressive driving,” said Goonting.

She added that aggressive driving – taking corners dangerously, speeding and tailgating – accounted for up to 30% of crashes.

Miros also said that distracted driving could contribute to careless driving, with one fairly common example being the use of mobile phones while driving.

Using mobile phone, fiddling with the GPS or in-car entertainment system were examples of technology-related distracted driving.

Goonting said other types of distractions were vehicle occupant-related and personal-related, such as eating, drinking or grooming while on the road.

She cited a 2006 study in the United States that found that drivers had a four times greater risk of crashing when they use their mobile phone, and the probability went up to 23 times if they text.

“Miros experiments found that distracted drivers had a 30% slower mental processing time and a 23% slower reaction time,” said Goonting, who pointed out that reading or sending an SMS would require drivers to take their eyes off the road for at least two seconds, or probably more – an act she likened to driving the length of a football field at 88.5kph blindfolded.

Goonting added that studies also found drivers who used mobile phones drifted out of their lanes, missed exits, knocked down pedestrians and ran red lights.

“Other than falling asleep while driving, texting while driving is probably the most dangerous in-car activity for a driver,” she said.