In the hands of an idiot, a car is a deadly weapon.

We've come a long way in trying to keep idiots off the roads, or at least make sure they behave behind the wheel. Many countries have tough penalties for reckless driving or driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

But what about distracted drivers, those who stare at their smartphones or tablets instead of watching the road? Today, they have become just as much of a menace as drunks and junkies.

Chinese authorities classify talking on a cellphone or trading emojis on WeChat while driving as "careless behavior", a term I'd more associate with losing your car keys than risking the lives of fellow road users.

Data from the Ministry of Public Security's traffic division show police nationwide reported 403,000 such violations last year, an increase of 11 percent. Meanwhile, in 2014, careless drivers caused 74,746 road accidents, resulting in 21,570 deaths and 76,984 injuries, and were involved in almost half of the 6.5 million minor collisions.

By contrast, since 2011, when a revision to the law saw tough criminal punishments introduced for drunken driving, deaths and injuries resulting for such behavior have fallen by 25 percent and 39 percent respectively.

I'd say it's time distracted drivers faced similar tough deterrents - especially as 68 percent of drivers admitted in a recent China Central TV poll to using their phone while in charge of a vehicle.

China is not alone, of course.

A survey last year by the University of Southern California and Bovitz Inc, published in USA Today, asked 904 drivers about their views on texting or sending emails while driving. Although 87 percent agreed it was dangerous, 17 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds admitted to always or often sending or checking online messages while driving, and for those age 35 to 54 it was 7 percent.

In the United States, road crashes involving distracted drivers killed 3,179 people in 2014 and injured another 431,000, according to the US Federal Communications Commission, which adds that such crashes accounted for 16 percent of all vehicle collisions reported to police.

The United Kingdom has recently beefed up its penalties for motorists caught using cellphones - an on-the-spot fine of about $250 and six points on their license (after 12 points a driver receives an automatic 12-month ban).

States in the US have set various punishments for offenders, ranging from a relatively light $20 fine (California) to a $10,000 fine and a year in prison (Alaska), according to the US Department of Motor Vehicles' website. If the data is up to date, it shows that Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Montana and South Carolina have yet to introduce any penalties.

Reading this article back, I can see it may look just like a list of numbers. But as drivers, we need to ask ourselves: Do I want to reach my destination, or do I want to be a statistic?

Contact the writer at craig@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/25/2016 page2)