The AA has released a new video highlighting the dangers of distracted driving, on the back of a survey suggesting 70% of drivers lose concentration at the wheel.
According to the AA survey, only 30% of respondents think solely about driving and navigation while on the road – with arriving on time (49%) the biggest distraction.
Other distractions include work (34%), planning for the future (25%), money (22%), social life (22%) and relationships (18%).
The survey also found a ‘significant difference’ between men and women – with the latter more than twice as likely to think about meal planning and childcare arrangements when driving.
Geographically, Londoners are most likely to think about arriving on time (52%), Welsh drivers are the most likely to think about future planning (27%) and those in the West Midlands are most preoccupied with money (25%).
In response to the survey, The AA Charitable Trust has published a new video and is calling on drivers to make sure they are well rested in order to maintain concentration.
Edmund King, director of the AA Charitable Trust, said: “The AA Trust has run some hard-hitting campaigns in recent years highlighting the dangers of distracted driving mobile phone use.
“But, while we can all make ourselves more aware of steps to take to minimise certain distractions, like putting mobile phones in the glove box, it is harder to switch our minds off day-to-day worries like childcare or work.
“So long as your thoughts aren’t so demanding that they overwhelm your ability to concentrate on the road then there is nothing wrong with a bit of thinking time in the car.
“Drivers can give themselves the best possible chance of keeping their concentration by making sure they are well-rested before they start a journey and take appropriate breaks on longer journeys.”
DfT figures show that in 2017, there were 4,573 injury crashes where driver distraction was recorded as a contributory factor – 774 were serious, and 125 were fatal.
Did the survey also establish that the 33 million drivers who think every day about other things while driving on every trip amounting to billions of times a day throughout the year do so without incident.
Do the AA need to get their name out in to the public again.
Keith
+3
When driving, I find I can get distracted thinking about useless public opinion surveys.
Hugh Jones
+3