Company, event, date Name Don’t be distracted.

Non-occupational accidents in Switzerland, 2016 Every year, more than one million people are injured on the roads, during sports and activities as well as in and around their homes.

Accidents in road traffic, 2018 Around 81 000 injuries 3873 serious injuries 233 fatalities Source : BFU, STATUS 2019

Potential causes of road traffic accidents Serious injuries and fatalities, 2017 Potential cause Number in % Disregarding right of way 1067 26 Inattentiveness/distraction 1153 28 Speed 715 17 Alcohol 431 10 Vehicle handling 353 9 Influence of drugs/medications 130 3 Vehicle handling: Lack of familiarity with the vehicle Lack of, too late or incorrect indicating Failure to dip headlights Driving without lights or with lights that do not comply with regulations Careless opening of the vehicle door Insufficiently secured vehicle while parked Serious injuries: serious and visible injuries that prevent normal activities at home for at least 24 hrs (e.g. unconsciousness, bone fracture or hospitalization for more than 1 day) Fatalities: People who die at the scene of the accident or within 30 days

Common causes of distraction Distraction by stimuli outside the vehicle (e.g. attractive views, people, advertising) Talking to passengers Eating and drinking Smoking Making or answering phone calls Operating vehicle devices (e.g. sat nav) and entertainment media (e.g. radio, CD player) Reaching for a moving object (e.g. bottle)

Phoning while driving Around 1 in 4 drivers use a mobile phone handset at the wheel at least occasionally; 3 in 5 use a hands-free system. (Source: 2019 population survey) Phoning while driving is 4 to 5 times more dangerous than undistracted driving. In this respect, there is no significant difference between using a hands-free system and holding a mobile phone in your hand! The mental distraction is greater than the motor distraction. Cognitive impairment leads to greater distraction than motor impairment.

Response distance while distracted driving Drivers usually react within 2 seconds. At a speed of 50 km/h, a driver who is briefly distracted and takes 3 seconds to react will travel almost half the length of a football pitch before even starting to brake. The response time when writing a text message is around 7 seconds – as long as it takes to travel 200 metres on the motorway, or the length of more than two football pitches.

Legal aspects Phoning while holding a mobile phone is prohibited: fine CHF 100.– Phoning with a hands-free system is permitted, providing compliance with Article 31, Section 3 SVG (Swiss Road Traffic Act): the driver must control the vehicle at all times in a manner that allows him to fulfil his statutory obligations.

Legal aspects Driving while phoning without a hands-free system or writing a text message at the wheel and not being in control of the vehicle can have consequences: Penalties (imprisonment and/or fines) Administrative measures (e.g. licence withdrawal) Accident insurance benefit cuts (daily allowance)

Video «Distracted driving»

Getting there safely Be prepared before you set off: Switch your mobile phone to voicemail or airplane mode Set the radio to your favourite station, insert a CD or connect your music player Programme your sat nav

Getting there safely Pay attention to the following while driving: Keep your attention on the traffic. Refrain from activities that might distract you. Completely refrain from making or answering phone calls. Using a hands-free system is distracting too! Don’t read or write text messages. → Park in a safe place if you need to do something that might cause distraction!

More information Find more accident prevention tips at www.ratgeber.bfu.ch.