‘Me no Appen’: apping in car is wrong, but also big problem with senders

Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management) said, “An accident is in a small corner, especially when people are distracted in traffic. This is often done by alerts from your cell phone, both in the car and on the bike. With the MONO campaign, we want to encourage people not to read or write messages on the go. This is not always easy. You can help your friends, colleagues or family with that: wait a moment to send that message until you know the person has arrived safely.”

Research by Motivaction

Nearly half of Dutch young people, when sending messages, do not take into account whether that person is currently on the road, even though they know this often leads to accidents. This is according to research conducted by Motivaction, commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works. 

Shun, shun, shun!

The survey by Motivaction shows that a third of Dutch people send someone a message anyway, even if they know or suspect that the recipient is driving or cycling at the time. Among 16- to 24-year-olds it is as much as half, and among 25- to 34-year-olds it is 40% (to car drivers) to 49% (to cyclists). Yet 9 in 10 Dutch people know that distraction is a major contributor to traffic accidents.

The risk of an accident is 2.5 times higher when road users are busy with their phones. Previous research found that 7 in 10 Dutch people receive messages or notifications on their cell phones when they are on the go. Two-thirds read those messages while driving. 

“Me no Appen!

Until now, the MONO campaign has focused primarily on the road users themselves, but the research by Motivaction offers reason to start targeting message senders as well. Since 2018, the MONO campaign has been calling for you not to be distracted by WhatsApp or by social media. Now a message is added to that: Me no Appen! The campaign is also promoted by MONO partners: provinces, municipalities, police, OM, Team Alert, VVN, ANWB, Shell and Flitsmeister.

We are available throughout the day. This is fun and practical, but also distracting. And that can be dangerous. Because while driving or biking, you have enough on your mind. Every time you look at your phone, you can’t pay attention to the road for a moment. Therefore, make sure others know you are on the road. “Me No Appen!” And do not send messages to anyone participating in traffic.

We are available throughout the day. This is fun and practical, but also distracting. That can be dangerous. Because while driving or biking, you have enough on your mind. Every time you look at your phone, you can’t pay attention to the road for a moment. Therefore, make sure others know you are on the road. “Me No Appen!” Do not send messages to anyone who is participating in traffic.

High fines!

To launch the new “Don’t Appen Me” campaign, police forces conducted massive checks on smartphone use in traffic during a nationwide MONO action day. The fines aren’t cheap. On a bicycle a fine is €140, in a car it is €350.

The campaign should not only make cyclists and motorists aware of the dangers of apping behind the wheel, but also alert dispatchers to the risks of smartphone distraction.