Distracted driving the main cause of driver error
Distracted driving is the biggest cause of driving mistakes, with talking to passengers the number one distraction.
According to research carried out by the RAC, 63% of motorists surveyed said they had made a mistake while driving because of internal or external distractions.
Of this number, 43% said talking to other passengers had led to them making errors behind the wheel, such as missing a junction, speeding, driving in the wrong lane, or nearly colliding with another car, a pedestrian or a cyclist.
The research revealed that daydreaming was the second most common distraction, causing mistakes from 37% of drivers, followed by looking at something unrelated to driving outside the car (33%), and adjusting vehicle controls (26%).
Interestingly, the results of the survey are largely at odds with what drivers believe to be biggest distractions.
For example, 46% said they believed that talking on a mobile phone was the greatest distraction but only eight per cent said this had caused them to make a mistake. A further 35% cited picking up something that had been dropped as a distraction, but in reality this is a cause in only six per cent of distracted driving mistakes.
Meanwhile, 42% of respondents thought applying make-up or shaving could cause a motoring mishap, though in fact this was only the case for two per cent of motorists.
Distractions
The latest government data shows 940 people were killed or seriously injured in 2023 where drivers were found to be distracted by something within the vehicle they were travelling in.
In contrast, 280 people were killed or seriously injured when a driver was distracted by something outside the vehicle.
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “Talking to passengers or daydreaming are so common that they aren’t perceived by drivers to be big distractions, but our research has revealed they are in fact responsible for most of the errors drivers admit to, whether that’s missing a turning, exceeding the speed limit or ending up in the wrong lane.
“While dropping an item or applying make-up are clearly extremely distracting and dangerous, they’re fortunately far less common than every-day things like talking to another passenger, an interfering thought or spotting something interesting outside the vehicle.”
Consequences
Dennis continued: “Although your eyes are on the road, it’s easy for your mind to wander behind the wheel, especially on long journeys. Distractions can have catastrophic consequences for both drivers themselves and other road users, especially in extreme instances like failing to stop at a junction or at red light or crossing.
“The practice of driving is second nature for many of us, but our research suggests things we do without thinking in the car have far more potential to cause us to make errors than we might realise.
“Driving is still a very mentally demanding task, especially as we need to be able to react to what’s in front in a split-second, so it’s important we do everything we can to stay alert and minimise distractions.”
