The number of drivers reported in the Balearic Islands who use their cell phones while driving has reached 4,217 throughout 2023, which represents 28% more than the previous year.
These are some of the data that the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) made public this Thursday, through a press release, in which it indicates its intention to reduce this risk factor, since in Spain it represents 30 percent fatal accidents. and it is one of the most frequent causes of violations, along with the consumption of alcohol, drugs or improper use of seat belts.
The government delegate to the Balearic IslandsAlfonso Rodriguez, and the provincial traffic chief, Francisca Ramispresented the campaign this Thursday in Palma Don’t run, don’t drink, don’t change wheelswhich is developed with the collaboration of the National Federation of the Association of People with Spinal Injuries and Other Physical Disabilities (Aspaym).
During a preventive breath test for drivers, volunteers from the entity accompanied the traffic officers to explain, in the first person, their testimony on the consequences of road accidents.
Ramis stressed the importance of raising awareness about the problem “irreversible consequences” that distracted driving can havehowever “very brief and minimal it may be”. In this sense, he insisted that it is a factor “concomitant in 31 percent of road accidents with fatalities”.
According to DGT data, in Spain, 20 percent of people admit to checking text messages on their cell phone while driving and 22 percent admit to talking on that device without using the hands-free system.
Rodríguez warned that the “intense action” of the Administration and institutions to improve safety on the roads “must be accompanied by greater awareness” on the part of users of these roads, because it is “the only way all these efforts can translate into fewer accidents and fewer lives lost behind the wheel.” »
Furthermore, during this presentation, campaign brochures were distributed We want you back, we want you back, for sure, Intended for motorcyclists. In 2023 in the Balearic Islands, 21 motorcyclists lost their lives in road accidents, 17 of them on intercity roads.
