Motorists driven to distraction

One in seven of motorists have hit another car

New research suggests motorists in the north west are having trouble concentrating while behind the wheel. Around one in seven have bumped another car in the rear and nearly as many admit they have nearly veered off the road due a lack of concentration.

Car insurance expert, Admiral surveyed motorists in the north west about the problems they have concentrating while driving and what distracts them when they get behind the wheel.

It found that more than one in seven (15%) of those questioned have hit another car in the rear due to a lack of concentration.

Admiral spokesman, Justin Beddows, said: “Our research suggests too many drivers are having accidents due to a lack of concentration. Within the last year alone Admiral has dealt with more than 40,000 claims in the UK where a customer has hit another driver in the rear. While not all of these will be down to not paying attention, losing concentration can easily result in you bumping another car.

Many motorists in the north west also admit they have nearly veered off the road due to being distracted while driving. 14% of those questioned said they had done this, which is reflected in Admiral’s own data. In that last twelve months, Admiral has dealt with nearly 3,000 claims across the UK where a customer has veered up or down an embankment and 20,000 claims where they have hit a parked car.

So just what is causing such mass lack of concentration among road users in the region? Admiral asked motorists exactly what had caused them to be distracted while driving. Top of the list was young children 39% admitted they had lost concentration while dealing with kids in their car. The second biggest distraction was other passengers on 26%. The other major distractions on the list were pets in the car on 12% and attractive people in the street on 11%. Mobile phones were the biggest distraction for 10%.

Which of the following have ever distracted you while driving?

• 1st Young children 39%
• 2nd Passengers 26%
• 3rd Pets 12%
• 4th Attractive pedestrians 11%
• 5th Mobile phones 10%

When it comes to mobile phones, many north west drivers admitted they have used their phones while driving since it was made illegal in 2003. 7% said they’d used their phone to send or receive a text and 11% said they used it to make or receive a phone call.

Justin Beddows added: “Driving a car at up to 70 miles per hour clearly takes concentration, but there are so many things that can distract you. Losing your concentration for just a couple of seconds could result in an accident. Some distractions are easier to avoid than others and you should never let your mobile phone take your attention away from your driving.”