In Brazil, 246,438 traffic violations were recorded for cell phone use in the year 2021, which is equivalent to 28 people fined every hour using the device while driving.
More than a third (37%) of the fines were registered in the state of São Paulo, where 91,362 people were caught using the devices behind the wheel last year.
The data are from the National Traffic Infractions Registry (Renainf) released by the Brazilian Traffic Medicine Association (Abramet) and reflect an even bigger problem than is quantified, says Antônio Meira Junior, president of Abramet.
He points out that the numbers tend to be underestimated, since not all people who use their cell phones in traffic are caught by traffic agents.
“The numbers recorded are staggering, but they are probably underestimated, because most cities do not have inspections”, he says.
Data from the Detran show that São Paulo owns a third of the cars registered in the country.
“The cell phone while driving is the main reason for distractions while driving, and it is the most serious, because it causes a distraction on three levels: manual (driver removes the hand that should be controlling the direction), visual (average of gaze) and cognitive impairment (focus shift, emotional distraction and longer reaction time)”, explains Meira Junior.
“The cellular and driving relationship is the classic example of a traffic accident, that is, it is not an accident because it is preventable. Most road tragedies are caused by human error, which could have been avoided.”
Surveys carried out by Abramet show that cell phone use is responsible for almost 50% of activities that result in Attention Failure while Driving – when there is a distraction on the part of the driver -, and that 57% of accidents involving people between 20 and 39 years old are for the same reason.
According to the institution, smartphone use is the third leading cause of traffic deaths in the country, behind only the use of alcohol and speeding.
In 2022, with the end of restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the number of infractions increased. Until April, the Detran in São Paulo fined 91,151 people for “driving a vehicle using, holding or handling a cell phone”, 70,754 of them in the capital of São Paulo.
The numbers do not represent the total number of infractions by the State this year, as they refer only to fines imposed by military police in the urban perimeter, that is, fines by radar or those issued by other bodies such as the Companhia de Engenharia de Traffic (CET) and the Department of Highways (DER).
For the Brazilian Traffic Code, the use of cell phones and/or earphones while driving is an infraction. This means that even if the cell phone is connected to a headset or speakerphone, the fine will apply. The same is true if the vehicle is temporarily stopped, such as at a red light or in a traffic jam.
The information is from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.
Source: CNN Brasil
