Billboard (click for PDF)

West Midlands Police is part of a new regional road safety campaign to encourage motorists to stay focussed on their driving by reducing the use of mobile phones and MP3 players whilst behind the wheel.

The campaign, which launches in the West Midlands on September 7, uses hard hitting imagery of body bags alongside images of a mobile phone or MP3 player to show the potentially fatal consequences these distractions can have.

Tag-lines '1 Message Read, 3 Mates Dead' and '1 Track Found, 3 Friends Lost', get drivers to think about the dire consequences they may have to live with if they do not give their full attention to the road. The risk of a collision due to inattention is increased when travelling at higher speeds, and a third version of the advert, '1 Broken Limit, 1 Broken Family', encourages drivers to keep their speed under control.

The campaign targets a very real problem; RAC figures show that 40 per cent of all drivers admit to being distracted by in-car gadgets whilst driving, with the most common cause being their radio or MP3 player.

A study by the Transport Research Laboratory reveals that mobile phone use is potentially more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol. It claims that driver reaction times are 30 per cent slower in drivers using a mobile phone than in drivers over the legal alcohol limit. Alarmingly, at any one time, as many as 100,000 UK drivers are using their phone at the wheel.

Even more deadly than mobile conversations are text messages sent and received at the wheel. A particular problem in younger drivers, texting requires the user to actively type their message, meaning both their hands and eyes are occupied. A recent THINK! study revealed almost a third of 18-24 year olds admit to texting at the wheel.

Lisa Newmarsh from the West Midlands Casualty Reduction Scheme said: "This campaign aims to improve road safety by preventing collisions and the risk of young drivers either killing or seriously injuring themselves or others by removing the potential distractions whilst driving. Technology is advancing all the time and radios and CD players have now been replaced with MP3 players which present an additional risk of being distracted whilst driving."

PC Steve Rogers from West Midlands Police Force Traffic Unit added: "The importance of concentrating on driving and avoiding unnecessary distractions cannot be underestimated. Using hands-free phone equipment may seem like a safe and legal way to make calls while at the wheel, however, it is not considered wholly safe as it still causes a distraction and therefore a risk. Remember, convenience must always take a back seat to safety."

The campaign posters, which were designed in consultation with members of the public, will appear on billboards around the West Midlands throughout September and will be supported by radio advertising intended to reinforce the campaign's message.

For advice and information about the risks of driving distracted, visit www.wmsafetycameras.co.uk/distraction.