Road safety

Using a car's Apple CarPlay or Android Auto system while behind the wheel can impair a driver's reaction time more than alcohol and cannabis use, or texting while driving, new research out of the UK has found. In fact, drivers using these systems were found to take their eyes off the road for up to 16 seconds, while the time they took to react to an stimulus on the road ahead was slowed by up to 50 per cent.

Cyclists feel more aware and more confident on the road than car drivers, according to a new study into the attitudes surrounding cycling in Australia. The research, from Queensland University of Technology's Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland (CARRS-Q), found cyclists were "more confident, less inattentive and more in favour of stricter road laws" than their car-driving counterparts.

Queensland will become the Australian state with the third-harshest punishment for drivers parking in disabled bays after introducing new rules that double the current fine. Under new proposed legislation, motorists caught committing the inconsiderate offence will be fined $533, twice the existing penalty of $266.

Deaths of drivers aged 17 to 25 have increased for the first time in three years, as the latest studies show not everyone is getting the road safety message. New data from both the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) and the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) suggests young people continue to engage in risky behaviours such as riding in a car with a drunk driver, speeding, driving while tired, or not wearing a seat belt.