Mobile phone use while driving in the Bay of Plenty is the key focus for this year’s Road Safety week which runs from May 6 -12.
Co-ordinated by charity Brake, the theme “SAY NO TO FOMO” will highlight the perils of using a mobile phone while driving and the distraction it causes.
“Anecdotally police in the Bay of Plenty report there is wide spread phone use by drivers,” Whakatane District Council Road Safety and Community Development Advisor Lorreen Hartley said.
“Mobile phone offences have grown in the region from 67 in 2009 to 1,162 in 2017.”
Ms Hartley said rather than telling people what they already know about the dangers, the campaign is asking drivers to say no to FOMO (The Fear of Missing Out).
“FOMO is what drives the behaviour and compels people to pick up the phone. Replying to a text or checking a news feed can be equal to driving drunk. The risk of crashing increases but many drivers will still pick their phones up.”
The campaign is being run on local road safety facebook pages. Let’s all get behind road safety week and make the commitment to say no to FOMO. ‘Save Lives #SpeakUp’ and improve road safety in our region.
| Mobile phone offences | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 6months to Jun 2018 |
| Eastern Bay of Plenty | 7 | 16 | 33 | 43 | 47 | 66 | 73 | 156 | 201 | 139 |
| Rotorua | 22 | 72 | 91 | 181 | 327 | 320 | 348 | 304 | 259 | 96 |
| Western Bay of Plenty | 38 | 138 | 223 | 380 | 314 | 367 | 628 | 717 | 702 | 326 |
| Bay of Plenty total | 67 | 226 | 347 | 604 | 688 | 753 | 1,049 | 1,177 | 1,162 | 561 |
