Despite laws which make using a cellphone while driving illegal, hundreds of Kiwis are still getting distracted by devices – and crashing because of it. In 2020, there were two fatal crashes where phone use was a factor, three serious crashes, 68 minor crashes and 88 non-injury crashes. Research shows using your phone while driving is the equivalent of driving drunk, Waikato road policing manager Inspector Jeff Penno said. “But there are some driver distractions we can control such as eating or drinking and using our mobile phones. “It is illegal to send or receive text messages or calls on hand-held mobile phones while driving.

Source: Stuff January 29, 2021 01:52 UTC