'WhatsApp Avenue' latest addition to road safety training

The very first edition of Road Safety Day in the Netherlands, past Tuesday, featured an innovative addition to the regular roster of such events: a so-called 'WhatsApp Avenue'. 

Organised at the Rijvaardigheidscentrum in Lelystad, the Road Safety Day was aimed at operators of large car fleets and other automotive professionals. The attendees, about 70 in total, discussed road safety and adjacent topics, including new mobility, risk management, sustainability, autonomous and electric mobility, and fuel economy. 

The day also included a few practical tests, such as a slip lane, and the all-new 'Whatsapp-laantje' ('WhatsApp Avenue'). On a controlled stretch of road, test subjects are asked to drive and WhatsApp at the same time. 

Their driving instructors then ask them to specify what they’ve seen by the roadside, or on traffic signs. The aim is to demonstrate just how much of their surroundings drivers miss out on when they’re on their phone while driving. 

Distracted driving, often because of phone use, is one of the major causes of traffic accidents. 

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