A parliamentary question regarding the effectiveness of a road safety campaign on mobile phone use, with the Minister defending the campaign and highlighting other distractions while driving. The Minister also makes a personal jab at the questioner.

AnsweredQoN 25Legislative Assembly
Asked
16 February 2011
Portfolio
Road Safety

QuestionView source ↗

ROAD SAFETY — MOBILE PHONE USE IN CARS
I have a supplementary question. Does the minister concede that the message of his $900 000 driver distraction campaign has been seriously compromised by the confusion caused by his explanation of these new laws? Mr R.F. JOHNSON

AnswerView source ↗

No, I do not—not at all. There are many ways a driver can be distracted. Changing the CD, changing the radio channel, drinking a can of drink, eating a hamburger, talking to somebody next to you, or shouting at the kids behind you who are making a noise are ways of being distracted. Using a mobile phone is only one of those ways, and it is one, like all the others. People should not shout at kids when they are driving, they should not eat hamburgers, they should not drink and I would say that they should not use a mobile phone while they are driving. The member said that the campaign cost $900 000, it was less than that, but I will not argue the point. We try to encourage people not to be distracted when they are driving. I have that problem of distraction when I am listening to the member for Girrawheen on the radio sometimes; I get terribly distracted and I have to curb my anger in the car because I am thinking that she is coming out with another furphy. I can feel another press release coming out, day after day!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: No, I do not—not at all. There are many ways a driver can be distracted. Changing the CD, changing the radio channel, drinking a can of drink, eating a hamburger, talking to somebody next to you, or shouting at the kids behind you who are making a noise are ways of being distracted. Using a mobile phone is only one of those ways, and it is one, like all the others. People should not shout at kids when they are driving, they should not eat hamburgers, they should not drink and I would say that they should not use a mobile phone while they are driving. The member said that the campaign cost $900 000, it was less than that, but I will not argue the point. We try to encourage people not to be distracted when they are driving. I have that problem of distraction when I am listening to the member for Girrawheen on the radio sometimes; I get terribly distracted and I have to curb my anger in the car because I am thinking that she is coming out with another furphy. I can feel another press release coming out, day after day!
No, I do not—not at all. There are many ways a driver can be distracted. Changing the CD, changing the radio channel, drinking a can of drink, eating a hamburger, talking to somebody next to you, or shouting at the kids behind you who are making a noise are ways of being distracted. Using a mobile phone is only one of those ways, and it is one, like all the others. People should not shout at kids when they are driving, they should not eat hamburgers, they should not drink and I would say that they should not use a mobile phone while they are driving. The member said that the campaign cost $900 000, it was less than that, but I will not argue the point. We try to encourage people not to be distracted when they are driving. I have that problem of distraction when I am listening to the member for Girrawheen on the radio sometimes; I get terribly distracted and I have to curb my anger in the car because I am thinking that she is coming out with another furphy. I can feel another press release coming out, day after day!
The member said that the campaign cost $900 000, it was less than that, but I will not argue the point. We try to encourage people not to be distracted when they are driving. I have that problem of distraction when I am listening to the member for Girrawheen on the radio sometimes; I get terribly distracted and I have to curb my anger in the car because I am thinking that she is coming out with another furphy. I can feel another press release coming out, day after day!

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