Mr. Michael Rowland:

Yes, absolutely. There are high levels of mobile phone use, which Mr. Waide mentioned. One in ten report talking on a hand-held phone. More importantly, our research has indicated that approximately one in five motorists check their phones while driving. Obviously, that is of huge concern to us. The World Health Organization states that a driver is four times more likely to be involved in a collision while using a mobile phone.

The most recent research was done by Dr. Kiran Sarma in the University of Galway. He looked at mobile phone use and made a number of observations. One is that people perceive it as low risk and that they are capable of using their mobile phone and there are unconscious processes. They have a dependence on the use of the mobile phone. He noted that experts had highlighted the importance of detection and enforcement to reduce driver mobile phone use. He suggested some potential technological solutions. Our colleagues in Australia are looking at that at the moment too.