People scrolling on social media while driving ‘a real issue’, Garda chief says

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

People who are scrolling through social media while driving is a “real issue”, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said.

There were 19,000 people caught using their phones while driving last year, according to the commissioner.

Mr Harris said the offence wasn’t linked to any one particular age group.

“If you’re using your mobile phone, then you are distracted, and events in front of you on the road, as you’re driving along, can change in an instance,” he told reporters while speaking at Scoil Mhuire and Scoil Bhríde in Tullamore, Co Offaly, on Monday.

“So concentrate on the road ahead, put your phone to one side, and certainly don’t look at social media.

“I think that’s a particular problem. People have social media open on their (phones on their) laps and glancing down at it as they scroll through, and that’s causing a real issue.

“There’s no real clever technology that we can apply to this. It is the eyeball, in effect, seeing an individual working at or using their mobile phone whilst driving.”

He added: “We are seeing terrible events on the roads. But the majority of those, there is some blameworthy factor in terms of what’s happened. Could be speed, could be individuals driving under the influence of drink or drugs, or distracted driving.”

He appealed to people to slow down, not to get distracted, wear seatbelts and not to drink or be on drugs while driving.

Mr Harris said there were over 150,000 detections of drivers speeding last year.