Road safety group argues against complicated driver rules
Date: 09 July 2007
Road safety group and anti-speed camera campaigner Safe Speed has argued that policy makers should not give drivers a long list of rules telling them what they can and can't do behind the wheel.
Couriers and drivers working for logistics firms and freight forwarders are often behind the wheel for long stretches, and there is mounting confusion as to what they are legally allowed to do.
Swinton Insurance recently revealed that drivers are mystified over what is legal and what is illegal. For example, people are divided over whether it's legal to eat a sandwich at the wheel or not, while others are not sure if they can legally change a CD.
The Driving Standards Authority is proposing a raft of new rules to be added to the highway code - including outlawing smoking at the wheel.
However, Paul Smith of Safe Speed argues that "giving drivers long lists of 'dos' and don'ts' simply isn't productive".
Managing distraction is a key driver skill, he says.
"We should not fall into the trap of trying to determine safety by observing what drivers are doing with their hands. Being in proper control is much more a matter of what drivers are doing with their eyes and their mind."
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