Almost two thirds of motorists have confessed to making driving mistakes because they were distracted, but surprisingly, neither their mobile phones nor their car’s sophisticated dashboards are to blame.
Although safety advocates have expressed serious concerns over drivers’ reluctance to stop using smartphones while driving – risking hefty fines and penalty points – and the trend of glancing at complex touchscreen displays, it turns out that the primary distraction is human in nature.
A recent survey conducted among 2,691 drivers in the UK revealed that chatting with passengers (43 percent) and letting their minds wander (37 percent) are the top triggers for distraction.
The RAC, which commissioned the survey, has warned this could have ‘catastrophic consequences’ when these unnecessary errors put other road users at risk.
Some 63 per cent of the panel admitted making mistakes due having their attention diverted away from the task of driving for one reason or another.
And while not the biggest cause, tech is having a part to play in driver errors; interacting with modern touchscreen systems to control functions such as heating, radio and navigation has resulted in a quarter of motorists driving poorly.
The biggest driver distraction is human, not technology: A recent poll of 2,691 UK motorists found that talking to passengers had triggered the most mistakes behind the wheel
Mistakes triggered by distraction included missing a junction, exceeding the speed limit, ending up in the wrong lane and nearly crashing into another road user, drivers told the motoring group.
When all respondents to the survey were asked what they consider distracting, the most common response was ‘talking on a phone’ (46 per cent).
The second most common distraction drivers listed is either applying make-up or shaving (42 per cent).
However, among those who admitted to making distracted mistakes, just 8 per cent and 2 per cent of drivers respectively said those were the major causes.
Over a quarter of drivers admitted making errors behind the wheel because they were too engrossed trying to make changes to the infotainment screen in their cars
Just 8% of drivers responding to the poll said they had made mistakes as a result of being distracted by their phones
Separate Department for Transport (DfT) figures show 940 people were killed or seriously injured in crashes on Britain’s roads in 2023 where a driver was found to be distracted by something within their vehicle.
Rod Dennis, RAC road safety spokesman, 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.
‘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 a red light or crossing.
‘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.’
IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards Nicholas Lyes believes it is paramount that ministers update road safety strategy to recognise the importance of improving driving standards overall.
‘In vehicle distractions play a huge part in taking minds away from the driving task ahead,’ he said.
‘We all lead busy lives but being in charge of more than a tonne of metal travelling at speed comes with massive responsibility and it only takes seconds for things to go tragically wrong.’
Driven to distraction by car touchscreens: A recent study tested 10 of the latest infotainment systems from mainstream brands and named which are most time-consuming to use
Distraction impact on road traffic collisions
According to the most recently available Department for Transport figures, in 2023 there were 1,624 deaths on Britain’s roads.
Of these, 23 fatalities listed mobile phone use as a contributory factor.
In fact, distraction and impairment were cited in 34.9% of all fatal collisions.
Only speed (57.7%) and behaviour or inexperience (46.8%) were more common contributory factors in deadly road traffic accidents.
Last month, we revealed that nine in ten motorists admit they cannot complete a car journey without being distracted by their phone.
This is despite the threat of fines and points on a licence and the increased likelihood of being caught by new roadside camera technology.
Just 10 per cent are able to go from start to finish on a trip without using their device in some way or another, analysis of driving data collated from a sample of half a million motorists over the last 12 months and shared exclusively with This is Money revealed.
With more than 42million licence holders, it suggests 37.8million are being distracted by their phones behind the wheel.
The analysis, carried out by telematics firm IMS, raises yet more alarm bells about technology’s impact on road safety.
Some 23 deaths on the road in 2023 were either entirely or partly caused by a driver being on the phone.
And the development of more advanced and larger touchscreen in new cars is only increasing the risk of driver’s taking their eyes off the road.
Infotainment in the latest models, which has seen models fitted with enormous TV-like displays on the dashboard, are now a major distraction concern.
With growing fears drivers are preoccupied by fiddly touchscreen systems, a study recently named and shamed the brands with the most difficult and convoluted to operate.
It found that it can take up to 22 seconds to complete simple tasks on the move – time where a driver isn’t entirely concentrated on the road ahead.
It comes as manufacturers from next year are threatened with having safety ratings for their vehicles downgraded if simple functions in the cabin are not operated using buttons and instead require motorists to prod through various screen menus.
