Smartphones: Deadly Distraction

When Friedrich Meister is on the road, he always has his smartphone with him. Being reachable for his family – that’s important to him. But in the summer of 2017, he became aware of the deadly consequences that can occur when he is distracted by his smartphone while driving.

Hands off from the smartphone while driving. Photo: Fotolia – karepa

Smartphones are making our roads more dangerous. According to a Forsa survey, more than half of all car owners who own a smartphone use the device while driving.

The consequences are dramatic: Studies and estimates both from Germany and the USA show that one in every ten traffic fatalities is caused by distraction. In Germany, this equates to 320 lives lost – far more than those killed through drink driving (225 fatalities in 2016).

But many drivers continue to underestimate how dangerous the distraction of the smartphone really is. For this reason, the expert organization DEKRA together with Auto Bild launched the information campaign “Handy weg – dein Leben zählt” (translation: put your cell phone away, your life counts).

For Friedrich Meister from Fulda this campaign was an eye-opener. In the video, he tells how it has made him change his behavior in the car – to make the road even safer.