A ban on the use of mobile phones while driving, which came into effect in 1999, has led to a reduction of more than 50 percent in cellphone-related traffic accidents, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
Accidents of this nature totaled 1,351 between November 1999 and last October, down 52.3 percent from the 2,830 recorded in the previous 12-month period, agency officials said.
The number of injuries suffered in such accidents fell 53.3 percent from the previous year to 1,925, while 20 people died, police statistics showed. This compares with 4,118 injuries and 25 deaths recorded the previous year.
Amendments to the Road Traffic Law that took effect in November 1999 banned the use of mobile phones while driving. Police officials stressed that the dramatic drop in the figures reflects this clampdown.
The greatest number of accidents, 577, occurred when drivers were answering a call. This was followed by 197 incidents in which the driver was placing a call and 187 cases in which drivers were in the midst of a conversation, according to the NPA.