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EVER BEEN DRIVING along trying to focus on your driving with a wailing child throwing a strop in the back seat.
If this is familiar scene to you, then you might agree with a new survey that says that children are 12 times more distracting to a driver than talking on a mobile phone while at the wheel.
In a first-of-its-kind study, Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) in Victoria, Australia finds that an average parent takes their eyes off the road for three minutes and 22 seconds during a 16-minute trip.
Recordings
Associate Professor Judith Charlton and Dr Sjaan Koppel at MUARC used cars fitted with a discrete recording system which monitored the driving behaviour of 12 families over three weeks. The families had an average of two children, between 1-8 years of age.
The study analysed 92 trips for any potentially distracting activities undertaken by the driver. This included all activities that distracted the driver or competed for their attention while driving which included looking away from the forward roadway for more than two seconds while the vehicle was in motion.
92 car trips
The results showed that drivers were observed engaging in potentially distracting activities in 90 of the 92 trips.
The most frequent types of distractions included turning to look at the child in the rear seat or watching the rear-view mirror (76.4 per cent), engaging in conversation with the child (16 per cent), assisting the child (7 per cent) and playing with the child (1 per cent).
Associate Professor Charlton said while the risks of distraction during driving are becoming increasingly well known, drivers often don’t consider how distracting their children can be.
The study found that one of the things that can prevent children from being distracting is ensuring that they are restrained in their seat properly.
The researchers found children were in the incorrect position for over 70 per cent of the journey time.
Garda Superintendent Joe Doherty said:
Even if you believe your child car seats are correctly fitted it’s still worth going along to a shop that sells car seats that has qualified staff and getting them checked out by an expert just to make sure.
Upon the survey’s results, the Road Safety Department of Mayo County Council has issued tips to keep parents focused while driving.
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