Look what I can do while I’m driving: implications for road safety in Australia

New technologies are often widely available to drivers before their safety can be evaluated

In recent years, the availability of technological devices that can potentially be used while driving has expanded rapidly. One device that has received particular attention due to concern about driver distraction is the mobile phone. In this issue of the Journal, Taylor et al report on the use of handheld mobile phones by drivers in metropolitan Melbourne (→ Handheld mobile telephone use among Melbourne drivers).1 This observational study, which follows up research conducted by the same investigators in 2002, indicates that drivers continued to use handheld phones 4 years later, despite legislative and enforcement practices that prohibit their use and evidence that such use increases the risk of having a crash. On the other hand, the rate of use has remained steady even though mobile phone ownership has increased.