AAC launches road safety campaign focusing on using mobile phones while driving

The Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) the largest motoring organization in the country advocating Road Safety in Sri Lanka has launched a new concept to improve the quality of driving by introducing awareness among motorists on the danger of “distracted driving” using mobile phones while driving on the theme “Drive in the Moment”.

A press conference publicizing this initiative was held in the AAC Auditorium recently. The Association with the assistance of FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile – FIA) Grant Program has participated in the UN Decade of Action since year 2010 to reduce road fatalities and injuries. But police statistics show that the accident rate and road fatalities here have increased annually.

The AAC has identified that driving under the influence of liquor and the widespread use of mobile phone while driving was a major contributor to increasing traffic violations in Colombo and in the suburbs.

In an effort to combat this, the Association together with the National Council for Road Safety and the police have begun a driver education program under the slogan “Don’t Drive Blind” to minimize bad driving habits. It is proposed to educate not only motorists but also the general public about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving or even walking on the road, an AAC news release said.

FIA is supporting the AAC’s the Road Safety Project for this year on the theme “Distracted Driving”. This strives to create awareness of the danger of using mobile phones while driving. The Association plans to gather data and create a platform to reduce in-vehicle mobile phone use specially, among young drivers.

The Association urges Lankan drivers to join in this mission of reducing mobile phone use while driving by taking its quiz at https://driveinthemoment.ord/lk/ and answer few questions to correct driving errors.