Lukasz Sielski

@PhoneKills 650+ miles for RoadPeace

Fundraising for RoadPeace
£1,724
raised of £1,000 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
PhoneKills cycle 640ish miles for RoadPeace, 4 August 2023
RoadPeace

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1087192

Story

Each year 136,002 people are injured or killed on British roads (figures for 2022). That is one every 4 minutes. 1,695 are being killed. That's 4.6 each day (source).

10% of fatal accidents are caused by distracted driving (source) and you're four times more likely to cause a crash when you're using a mobile phone (source).

You lose around 27 seconds of cognitive abilities when using a mobile device, even in the cradle (source) which makes it extremely dangerous in slow-moving traffic where you may not notice pedestrians and cyclists.

Many drivers are not aware that use of the phone is forbidden, even when in the queue or at the lights. That leads to many getting at least 6 points and £200 fine, which for first 2 years of holding the licence results in disqualification. That is more and more common thanks to the third party reporting where hundreds of thousands motorists, horse riders, pedestrians and cyclists joined the local forced in fight for safer roads.

I spent over four years immersed in the world of third party reporting and analysing impact phone distracted motorists cause on our roads. I'm more terrified than ever. Each time I commute to and from the work, shop, school I need to stay extra vigilant to not be crashed by someone who combines some of the fatal four: speed, distraction or substances (no belt is the fourth one).

I grew to the moment that after reporting over a thousand drivers, learning all shades of grey about the topic I started to work on the book about third party reporting. This summer I embark on a 8 day long trip from Scotland back down to London, meeting with some heroes of the story I want to tell you, fundraising for RoadSafe, a charity that helps road crash victims and to raise awareness about phone use dangers. So far I interviewed: Jeremy Vine, Mark Hodson, Dave Sherry, Traffic Droid, Jim's Wheels, Ian Price, CycleGranny, David Brennan and got accounts from many others together with dozens of data from Police forces across the country.

This time I will visit Edinburgh, Glasgow, Carlisle, Lake District, Manchester, Peak District, Sheffield, Nottingham, Coventry, Birmingham, North Cotswolds, Oxford, Maidenhead and Windsor. The trip will be about 640 miles and will take 8 days.

I cycle regularly to and from work between Wimbledon and Kensington which made me extra aware of the road safety issues in my area. I voiced my concerns about Merton and RBKC failures to deliver safe active travel infrastructure as well. I cycle to keep fit and for to support my mental health. Especially while working in the media I'm daily exposed to endless stream of tragic stories about people who lost their lives to motoring ignorance.

Updates will be posted on:

- my Twitter https://twitter.com/phonekills

- my TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@phonekills.com

- my YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@PhoneKills

- my website (to be updated soon) - where you'll be able to sign up for the newsletter about the upcoming book

Share this story

Help Lukasz Sielski

Sharing this page with your friends could help raise up to 3x more in donations

You can also help by sharing this link on

About the charity

RoadPeace

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1087192
RoadPeace is the national charity for road crash victims. We provide practical and emotional support to victims through a helpline, befriender network, and information guides on the legal procedures that follow a crash. RoadPeace also campaigns for justice for victims and road danger reduction policies that champion the needs of vulnerable road users. RoadPeace won the Guardian Charity Award winners in 2008. Help us make the world a safer and fairer place.

Donation summary

Total raised
£1,723.76
+ £202.25 Gift Aid
Online donations
£1,723.76
Offline donations
£0.00

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.