Danger of distraction

60 percent of Austrians use their cell phone at the wheel

According to an IFES survey, well over half of drivers in Austria use their cell phones while driving. Distraction and inattention are also the biggest causes of traffic accidents. Asfinag therefore wants to launch a campaign against smartphones at the wheel. New ads are intended to draw attention to so-called "Park & Write" zones, where safe cell phone breaks are possible.

Almost 60 percent of all respondents admitted to using their cell phone while driving - whether to make calls or read messages or even write them themselves. Among drivers under the age of 30, the figure is as high as 80 percent. This is why Asfinag's new advertisements are intended to draw attention to "Park & Write" zones in which safe cell phone breaks are possible.

The highway holding company is investing around 400,000 euros in new bridge banners, posters on expressways and advertisements in the media and social media, among other things, announced Asfinag board member Hartwig Hufnagl at a press conference on Monday. This is because on Austrian freeways, "on average, it only takes just under four minutes to get to the next rest stop where you can safely make a phone call or check your messages".

Significantly higher accident risk
Christian Schimanofsky, Managing Director of the Road Safety Board, warns that being distracted by a cell phone in the car is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.8 per mille. The human brain is not designed for multitasking. "This means that you are somewhat distracted, you are not fully focused on one activity when you are doing the other". The risk of accidents is five times higher with a cell phone in hand and 23 times higher when texting at the wheel.

569 accidents last year due to distraction
"In the past year 2023, we recorded a total of 569 accidents where the cause of the accident was distraction," says Hufnagl. According to the survey conducted anonymously in May 2024, 60 percent use their smartphone in the car, while around half feel "uncomfortable" without a cell phone. "One in five even read messages while driving [...] and one in seven drivers text while driving".

KfV and Asfinag agree that leaving the cell phone muted while driving is the simplest solution to avoid accidents. There are currently 254 "Park & Write" spaces, 59 Asfinag rest areas, 108 parking spaces and 87 rest stops on the freeway network.