NEW YORK: Researchers declare April as National Distracted Driving Awareness month. And a new study commissioned by Erie Insurance reveals that people keep on doing multitask while driving.
According to the study in 2012, 3,300 people were killed in distracted driving crashes. Erie Insurance asked drivers to list what distracts them while they are on the road. The answers ranged from standard to bizarre.
“A distraction is anything that causes a driver to take their eyes off the road, their hands off the wheel, or their mind off their primary task of driving safely,” said Doug Smith, senior vice president of personal lines at Erie Insurance. “Our survey found drivers unfortunately are engaging in a wide range of distracting and potentially dangerous behaviours.”
Other distractions that people admitted to included public displays of affection, personal grooming and taking selfies.
Distracted driving behaviour and percentage of drivers who engaged in it
Romantic encounter/PDA 15%
Combing/styling hair 15%
Changing clothes 9%
Putting on make-up 8%
Brushing/flossing teeth 4%
Taking selfies 4%
Changing drivers 3%
Going to the bathroom 3%
Smaller percentages also reported they would put in contact lenses, eye drops, scratch lottery tickets or even play guitar while driving.
“As a car insurance company who cares deeply about our customers, we want to do whatever we can to help people stay safe behind the wheel,” said Smith. “We hope that our survey will get people talking about the importance of eliminating distracted driving and keeping their focus on the road.”
The study also showed that young people were more likely to text and drive.
