Last Updated on December 24, 2020 by HodgePodgeDays
What distracts you in the car? Is it your mobile phone ringing, your favourite song being played on the radio, or is it the kids shouting in the back? When you’re driving, there are always distractions, but how can you avoid them and how dangerous is it to be distracted behind the wheel?
Car leasing experts and personal contract hire specialists, Lease Car UK have recently done a study of the top distractions UK drivers complain about. They surveyed 1000 people and the full results can be found in this infographic.
The survey said that many drivers find music to be distracting, with heavy metal and rock music being the most distracting, and classical music being the least. No surprises there.
32% of those surveyed admit to eating while they’re driving, with 13% of drivers admitting to tucking into a burger behind the wheel, that is a bit of a shocking thought, I can’t even begin to imagine trying to eat, not drop my burger into my lap and drive at the same time.
Another big driving distraction is children. 6 out of 10 drivers have their children in the car and 30% of drivers use the rear view mirror to talk to their kids, whilst 3% turn around to talk to them. We usually have our son in the car and he’s been fairly well trained over the years to not talk to or distract the driver and to wait until the car has stopped at traffic lights etc before he speaks. We’re pretty good at making sure he’s got books to read and toys to play with in the car, which occupy him even on long journeys.
We often go on long drives to Cornwall, meaning we can be in the car for anything up to 8 hours on a bad day. My husband drives and I manage the car; tinkering with the Satnav if it needs it, making sure we have money for tolls, sorting out food and drink and entertainment in the car. It can be a very long and boring journey and it’s imperative that the driver has as few distractions as possible, especially if we are driving in bad weather.
Preparation is the key, planning any food and drink stops before, during or after your journey. Tuning the radio to a less distracting station; giving the kids something to do in the back; and making sure your mobile phone is switched off are all good ways to reduce the distraction levels.
We all know that in car distractions can be dangerous, so what are the things which distract you in the car? Is there anything you can do to manage them or minimise them? How do you minimise distractions?