INSURERS AND A road safety advocate have called for breathalysers for the umpteenth time following the disclosure that the laws are to be changed to penalise mobile phone use while driving.
Last week, Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley said that the Road Traffic Act and Regulations were being amended to make specific reference to cellphones, tablets and other hand-held devices. Offenders could face fines up to $3 000 and or imprisonment of more than a year.
President of the General Insurance Association of Barbados, Michael Holder, in supporting the change, pointed out that an industry survey in 2015 showed that almost four out of every ten accidents resulted from distracted drivers.
“We had undertaken an industry survey and what it said was that 38 per cent of these accidents were caused due to driver distraction, the driver was on the cellphone, appeared to be texting, reaching for the dashboard or paying more attention to something or someone on the road,” he said. (AC)
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