'20 seconds on the phone increases accident risk by over 60%' - Discovery Insure

John Perlman interviews Eugene Herbert, Co-founder of the Road Ethics Institute.

Listen below.

Cellphone distractions rank as the primary cause of vehicle accidents in South Africa, leading the roster of hazardous driving behaviours nationwide.

This conclusion stems from recent research conducted by Discovery Insure, leveraging its extensive telematics capabilities with access to over 19 billion kilometres of driving data and 500,000 daily trips.

The study revealed that dedicating just 20 seconds to phone usage per trip escalates the accident risk by over 60%.

Furthermore, it identified that over 60% of motor vehicle fatalities can be attributed to five key behaviours: drinking and driving, cellphone usage while driving, excessive speeding, aggressive driving, and neglecting vehicle maintenance.

Notably, cellphone usage emerged as the behaviour most significantly impacting the probability of an insurance claim by Discovery Insure clients, surpassing even speeding in risk level.

The insurer's analysis indicated that clients filing accident claims were 52% more prone to have engaged with their phones than to have exceeded speed limits on the day of the incident.

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Herbert asserts that the cognitive component, arguably the most crucial one, is paramount because our brains cannot equally allocate attention to multiple tasks simultaneously.

He further emphasises that even a mere second with diverted focus, whether it involves checking the rear-view mirror, glancing at your phone, or conversing with passengers, diminishes concentration and heightens the risk of accidents.

"The brain cannot process two equally important tasks simultaneously."

- Eugene Herbert, Co-founder – Road Ethics Institute

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.