Council releases road safety video

Hertfordshire County Council has produced a video which aims to improve road safety in the region.

The body’s film asks motorists if they have any bad habits while behind the wheel, such as using a mobile phone, applying makeup, eating and reading.

This video comes after a roadside study by the council, which involved safety officers monitoring local areas at rush hours in June, found 236 people using their mobile phone while driving.

It also discovered 81 motorists texting, 60 eating, 44 drinking hot beverages and 32 reading.

Meanwhile, some were seen shaving, opening letters and putting on their makeup.

Stuart Pile, executive member for Highways and Transport, commented that a person’s usual reaction time behind the wheel is around half a second.

He added: "If you’re distracted while driving, your reaction time can increase to 2.5 seconds. This is all the time it takes to hit a pedestrian or another vehicle."

Recently, around 140,000 cyclists in London were sent a link to a video which gave them safety tips on how to deal with lorries.

This story has been supplied by a third party and as such its content may not reflect the views of the Environmental Transport Association.