Dr Arikawe Adeolu, a Medical Practitioner, Federal Medical Center, Jabi, Abuja, has urged the public to stop using phones while on the road in order to curtail road traffic accidents.
Adeolu in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday said that the trend still continue despite efforts by relevant agencies to curb the menace.
He said that many accident emergencies in hospitals without a reported cause were mostly due to phone use while driving or walking along the road.
He said that road users and pedestrians were guilty of this as they keep fiddling with their phones while on the road increasing the likelihood of getting involved in road accident.
“Mobile phones have become a constant part of our daily lives and increased use of the device drastically affects how we live generally.
“There is a correlation between the use of phones and road traffic accidents. This affects road users and pedestrians alike.
“Using the phone while on the road is still a major cause of road traffic accidents; calling, sending messages while driving or walking along the road is very wrong but this keeps happening every day.
“People are distracted by their phones while using the roads and they get knocked down by oncoming vehicles; the road users as well can cause accidents on the roads due to phone distractions.
“I advice that the use of phones be reduced as much as possible by all users. If at all you will be on the phone for a long period of time you should use a hands free device in order to prevent placing the phone close to you.
“People who have been involved in accidents due to use of mobile phones hardly admits or divulge such information because they will be held responsible. It is therefore difficult to track how often such cases occur.”
The expert also advised parents and guardians to restrict children’s use of phones as their brain and immune system was still developing.
He said that this factor puts them at higher risk of developing health conditions due to frequent use of the device.
Adeolu said that though research has been done on the relationship between use of phone and cancer, none has confirmed the linkage. (NAN)