There is so much information out there about how you shouldn’t use your mobile phone when driving, and of course you shouldn’t under any circumstances, but it appears there is a bigger danger in your car: your kids.
According to a study, children are 12 times more distracting to a driver than talking on a phone behind the wheel
Experts from the Monash University Accident Research Centre in Australia found that, on average, parents take their eyes off the road for three 3 minutes and 22 seconds of a 16-minute trip.
For the experiment, Associate Professor Judith Charlton and Dr Sjaan Koppel used cars fitted with a recording system to monitor the behaviour of 12 families – with an average of two children aged between one and eight – over three weeks.
Associate Professor Charlton said that while the risk and sources of distraction in the car are more publicized these days, many don’t consider children in the backseat as a distraction.
The study revealed that the main behaviours of parents included turning to look at the child in the backseat, watching the rearview mirror, speaking to the child, assisting the child and playing with the child.
Furthermore, it found that the presence of a passenger in the front seat did not impact on the way that drivers engaged in such behavior and of course it can have devastating consequences considering that driver distraction results in 20 to 30 per cent of all collisions.
The Road Safety Authority is calling on parents to keep this in mind. They say: “The cost is too high to take your focus off the road to look at your child for even one second… If you want to be a good parent in the car, focus on being a good driver.”
Tips to decrease driver distraction include:
- The correct restraint of children in their car seats.
- Think about your child’s needs before getting in to car.
- Keep your attention on the road even if a child starts acting up.
- Find a safe place and pull over if you feel the need to intervene.
For more information on car safety, visit the Road Safety Authority website HERE.
