Mobile phone at the wheel or unsecured luggage: Starting this Friday, the police in Saxony-Anhalt will be checking drivers and cyclists nationwide with a focus on distraction from road traffic. The aim is to reduce traffic accidents caused by distraction and to point out the risk, as the Ministry of the Interior and Sport announced on Thursday. From September 16th to 22nd, the state of Saxony-Anhalt will take part in the "Focus on the Road" control week organized by the "European Roads Policing Network" (Roadpol).

The police pay particular attention to violations in the use of smartphones and cell phones, impairment of hearing through headphones and deficiencies in the safe stowage of cargo. They also check whether children are properly buckled up and secured. It's about physical, psychological and emotional distractions. Cars, trucks and bicycles are to be checked.

"Anyone who does not pay attention to what is happening on the road while driving risks braking too late or otherwise reacting too late - and causing an accident," said Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU). The use of a mobile phone, for example, increases the risk of an accident by at least four times.

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