IAM survey highlights biggest driver distractions

12.00 | 25 February 2014 |

Children in the car are the number one distraction for drivers, according to a survey of 1,500 drivers by IAM.

29% of respondents to the survey admitted that their children are their biggest distraction while driving. 

Other top distractions highlighted by the survey include: changing the radio (27%); back seat drivers (26%); mobile phone use (24%); sat nav (15%); and social media updates (10%)

Nearly a quarter of men (23%) admit to being distracted by attractive people, compared to just 3% of women.

In the same survey, 9% of respondents admitted that they have crashed because they were distracted. The IAM says that according to police statistics, mobile phone use and other distractions were a factor in up to one 105 road deaths in 2013.

Simon Best, IAM chief executive, said: “People who think they can multi-task while driving are kidding themselves. If you take your eyes of the road for just two seconds at 30 miles per hour, you’ll travel close to 90 feet, effectively blind.

“The key to reducing distractions and their impact is to learn to look upon your driving as a skill that needs continuous evaluation and improvement.”

In response to the results the IAM has issued a series of “top tips" for addressing the problem of distraction by children in cars. The advice includes “games that promote and reward quiet behavior” and using portable games consoles or in-car DVD players.

The IAM also says that having a second adult in the car to look after the children makes a massive difference, leaving the driver to concentrate on driving.

Comments

Comment on this story

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close