by Jan Walker

Created on: April 06, 2009   Last Updated: April 08, 2009

I had been driving for some time, on my way to a longed for girl's night out with friends who live a distance apart, so any time we spent together was special. We had arranged a meal at a convenient place for us all to rendezvous.

It would take me approximately an hour and half drive to the destination. The route was part dual carriageway, country lanes and through numerous villages, obviously using differing speeds as necessary. Traffic was reasonably light for the time of day around 16.30 p.m; the weather was dry and ordinary. Light was fine, as we were in the month of April.

About 40 mins into my journey I viewed in my rear view mirror a car which seemed to speed up and then be some distance away from me, I could see the occupants, a male driving and a female passenger.

Coming up to a roundabout beyond a steep dip in the road, the traffic in front of me slowed down approaching the said roundabout, causing a ten car queue. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the car mentioned some distance from me. I had now come to a full stop on the road awaiting the traffic to move.

Looking again in my mirror i saw the vehicle coming towards me; I quickly assumed he had not seen the stationary traffic and especially me!. I put my hands on the steering wheel to brace myself and sat looking whilst he careened into me, causing me to hit the car in front of me; I was sandwiched inbetween two cars, radiator leaking and the nails on my fingers broken.

Just seconds before he hit me, I could see the female passenger showing him her mobile phone for him to read; hence his lack of concentration on the road and therefore, the subsequent incident.

I suffered whiplash which lasted six months, it took a year to claim a small amount of compensation, but needless to say although my accident only resulted in a minor accident, it could have and probably will result in further accidents happening.

So, yes i wholeheartedly agree; however, here in the UK there is a ban on phones being used, but you see people using them frequently on a daily basis, from people in cars to heavy goods vehicles. Hands free units should be mandatory and built into every car at manufacturer level. The cost would surely be minimal, but there is no cost on a life or any injury incurred as a result of accidents happening to people in the future.

However did we manage years ago when these phones were not around?

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