Dancing behind the wheel, texting and kissing a passenger – Britain’s top driving distractions revealed
Over half of Brits admit to being distracted while driving - with a worrying amount still fiddling with phones despite tougher penalties
MORE than half of British drivers get distracted while driving, with 'adjusting the car radio' being the single biggest reason.
A whopping 47 per cent admitted to playing with the stereo, while a third shamefully said they're preoccupied with scenery when driving.
A fifth of Brits who are distracted whilst driving said it was because they're sending a text.
Another 20 per cent also admitted to answering a phone call without a hands-free device.
This is despite tougher penalties being brought into force last year for the crime, with a minimum of six points issued on a licence and a £200 fine.
One in three admitted to resetting the sat nav while driving, which also holds the same penalty.
Brits’ top driving distractions
- Fiddling with the car stereo – 47%
- Getting distracted by scenery – 33%
- Resetting the sat nav – 30%
- Sending a text – 20%
- Answering a call on mobile phone with hands – 18%
- Getting distracted by an attractive pedestrian – 18%
- Stopping children from fighting – 15%
- Browsing through a music application – 12%
- Kissing a passenger – 11%
- Dancing behind the wheel – 10%
Being distracted by another person is even more common than mobile use while driving, as 18 per cent of drivers say that an attractive pedestrian takes their eyes off the road.
Fifteen per cent of drivers are also busy stopping their children from fighting and more than a tenth say they're distracted from kissing a passenger.
Dancing behind the wheel has also diverted the attention of 10 per cent of drivers.
Richard Browning, Director at dash cam firm Nextbase, said: “This study raises concern as to just how dangerous some drivers can be, with figures showing that 18 million motorists can’t help but get distracted when they drive.
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"Unfortunately, accidents caused by a distracted driver can be difficult to prove as there is often a lack of hard evidence, which leaves victims unable to make a claim.
“However, with a dash cam, drivers can have more confidence on the road, safe in the knowledge that if they do get hit by a road user who isn’t paying attention, the incident is recorded and can be resolved quickly and accurately.
"We also know from previous studies that an increasing number of customers improve their driving while using a dash cam, ultimately making the roads much safer for all drivers.”