Alongside speeding, driver distraction is the leading cause of fatal accidents on Britain’s roads, and it seems that we are all distracted from the road every time we drive. A recent study by Peugeot has shown what we have always expected, which is that on average drivers take their eyes off the road up to 7% per journey.
The level of distraction equates to drivers are not looking at the road for 2 miles every 30 miles they drive, which also explains why many accidents do occur.
Peugeot research
Peugeot researched to prove that their i-Cockpit technology reduces driver distraction. The i-Cockpit solution places functions such as the speedometer onto the front of the windscreen, so drivers do not need to look down to see the speed they are travelling at.
In Peugeot’s research, drivers carried out 25 identical 6-mile journeys in two SUVs, including different speeds and road types, while wearing glasses which featured six small cameras that could record where the individual was looking every 0.05 seconds, by tracking the eye movements and processing the results. One SUV had i-Cockpit, and the other one did not and had a standard speedometer.
The results of the study showed that drivers using the new i-Cockpit system took their eyes off the road 5% of the time and drivers with a regular speedometer took their eyes off the road 7% of the time. The test proved that checking a primary function such as the speed of the vehicle does contribute towards driver distraction.
Distracted while driving
A similar study carried out in 2017 by Direct Line used eye-tracking technology and found that drivers take their eyes off the road every 9 seconds. As well as that, a fifth of those asked admitted that they had had an accident because they were distracted while driving.
It also showed that 11 million drivers in the UK have crashed at some point in their driving career. Of those who had had an accident, the biggest reason drivers admitted was the cause of the crash was due to speeding and unsafe driving, but the second most significant reason was due to distraction inside the vehicle.
Being distracted when driving is a leading cause of fatal accidents, by staying alert and focused on the road it actively reduces the number of deadly crashes. It is hoped that research conducted over these studies will help to inform drivers better that they are being distracted on every journey they make, but there are several ways to reduce distractions.
How to reduce distractions
There are many things you can do to ensure you are distracted less while driving without needing to buy a Peugeot i-Cockpit vehicle. Make sure your phone is either off or on do not disturb mode. Some modern phones even have a ‘driving’ mode that will send an automated text response to anyone who calls or messages you to let them know that you are driving. Android and Apple are looking at imposing a driving mode where the phone automatically stops working once inside a moving car, but there is an option for passengers to unlock the phone’s functions too.
If you are driving with younger children, make sure they understand that you cannot distract the driver and help them to know why. With small children, it may be easier to make more extended journeys with someone else in the car who can talk to them and keep them entertained for more extended periods of time. When using a navigation system, keep it hung in the right place that causes the least distraction in the right corner of the windscreen, so you are not looking away from the road ahead for too long. If you are lost, rather than trying to adjust the sat nav while driving, pull over when safe and check then.
Music is another issue, and changing CD’s or tracks can lead to minor accidents and driving into the back of someone. Have everything set up before you leave, or ask the passenger to help. Use shuffle mode or autoplay and then don’t touch it again until you stop.
If you are feeling tired while driving, especially on a long motorway, it is better to be late than to be dead, so pull over and have a rest, eat a banana or drink a coffee and continue when you feel awake. While driving it is more often than not the unexpected that will catch you out, whether it is the person glued to a phone screen or an animal running out, so being aware of the unexpected can save lives.
Do you agree with the research and how often do you find yourself looking away from the road? What do you think should change to reduce driver distraction in cars? Is the Government strict enough about preventing mobile phone use in cars? Let us know in the comments below
Cickpit design sureky must be the worst culprit. WE have had our car two and a half years and with the electric steering which is so precise, even reaching for the heater fan alone is bordering on dangerous…other “gismos”…if you dare go near them, the car is NOT where you “left it”.
True – too many controls in a car need the driver to look at them to operate them. Stupid push-button heater controls are my biggest hate. What was wrong with sliders for heat and air-direction? They could be set by feel, without any need for looking down. Also switches scattered all over the place. I remember one car I had (possibly a Sierra) that had all the switches on the edges of the binnacle, reachable without letting go of the steering wheel (ideally, I’d like to go back to proper multi-position Lucar-type switches for the same reason as above – you could use them by feel – but the safety elves have decided that they are dangerous…)
I would suggest that ALL cars heater controls are fitted with an AUTO function not just high end models. Set the temperature you want & forget it so no fiddling. Similarly if you have cruise control make use of the SPEED LIMITER function in controlled areas. Also make sure your cars fitted satnav has a head up display or that it displays on your instrument panel as well as the centre screen so less distraction. The trouble at present is that most of these things are only available on high end models.
True – too many controls in a car need the driver to look at them to operate them. Stupid push-button heater controls are my biggest hate. What was wrong with sliders for heat and air-direction? They could be set by feel, without any need for looking down. Also switches scattered all over the place. I remember one car I had (possibly a Sierra) that had all the switches on the edges of the binnacle, reachable without letting go of the steering wheel (ideally, I’d like to go back to proper multi-position Lucar-type switches for the same reason as above – you could use them by feel – but the safety elves have decided that they are dangerous…)
I find continually checking the speedometer because of ‘safety’ cameras is probably my largest distraction from concentrating on the road conditions, other traffic, and safe driving. (I have battened down the hatches to weather the usual storm that any criticism of ‘safety’ cameras invokes…).
You may be surprised at the number of people who are agreeing with you! I do, too. My saviour has been the ‘limiter cruise control’ in my recent cars. As one who used to be just a little cavalier about speed limits – nothing silly, you understand – I now find keeping to the (often ridiculous) speed limits far less bothersome. The main problem now is the white van man behind me who thinks I am travelling too slowly!
I think speed camera’s are a good thing but they cannot differentiate between a vehicle that has momentarily speeded up and a vehicle that is just speeding, the answer is calculating speed over a distance
Speed cameras do not have any common sense as a policeman had and often used
speeding is not a biggest factor. careless driving is. in many cases limit is set to much lower value then safe speed BUT the speed is easiest to measure and blame. The pain in the a… called variable speed limit and speed cams do cause more distraction – u are forced to watch speedo instead of the road!
the so called safety cameras are not for safety. they are to generate REVENUE
Having to continually check the speedometer is the biggest problem. Even so, on a long journey it’s important to relieve boredom by taking note of one’s surroundings; constantly staring at the road ahead is liable to cause a ‘zombie’ state in the driver, which certainly is dangerous.
Speedometer and constantly looking to avoiding potholes. CD and radio.Car entertainment and mobile phones have a lot to answer for especially when loud drivers can’t hear emergency vehicles.
Only in a peugeot would you not concentrate on the road as you are busy watching the dials for the next thing to go wrong.
I have over 40 years of driving, learnt ways not to be distracted but that comes with experience. I do find I am spending an increasing amount of time watching my Speedometer, especially in 20, 30 and 40 mph zones or average speed areas such as Motorway road works. Years ago, you tended to drive to the road conditions, now it has to be to a maximum speed or get a ticket through the post. Whilst I’m looking for speed limit signs and constantly at my speed, I’m not watching the road etc. as much as I used to! Ergo, I must be more of a danger on the road.
Simple solution, use cruise control
Great if your car has it, I do but many cars do not have cruise control. Maybe it should be made law that all cars have it.
One action that is very important is checking the rear view mirror. Since wing mirrors were replaced with door mirrors this requires taking ones eyes off the road ahead. The RVM check should be done every 9 seconds on main roads and 3 seconds on motorways if my IAM training is remembered correctly. This would explain some of the findings of the survey and if due to RVM checks surprises me that motorists are doing this without training.
Why are so many cars designed with the driving information panel in the middle of the vehicle? Years ago the speedo and other vital information was in front of the driver. Ditto the near side mirror, that needs a turn of the head to see it, in the old days it was on the front wing, easier to see.
These things are bad design, with things going backwards.
Agree with Dr Who. In areas with speed cameras every half mile, you find yourself with your eyes constantly looking at the speedo. This has particular relevance now that discussions are being promoted as to abandon the 10% over the speed limit rule and prosecute anything over 30. What a totally dumb idea.
It rather looks like speed cameras are counter intuitive, since attending a speed awareness course I now spend too much time looking at the Speedo, limit signs and camera spotting, now that just can’t be safe. Surely a little over the limit is less dangerous?, And then they call them “safety cameras”, I think money cameras would be more appropriate, I don’t think Road safety even comes into it.
A head up speed display is very useful but the makers insist on useless gadgets because they sell cars useful things do not
Just because you are looking it doesn’t follow that you will always see what is out there. Drive carefully, respect others, and follow the highway code makes for safer driving.
Visual satnav and mobile phones are the worst culprit. How many times have I seen a driver veer across lanes on a motorway because they are watching a little screen that tells them that they arriving at their junction. And how many times have I passed a driver who is looking down and typing into a mobile. Learn to read roads and road signs, Ban mobiles and make satnav voice only.
Like many others here, I find I now spend far more time checking my speedometer than I used to because of the increasing numbers of speed cameras. I have also noticed many more cars on motorways and dual carriageways veering across lane boundaries and back again. If I get the opportunity to pass them I ask my wife to check what the driver is doing. These are some of the distractions she has seen: texting, phoning, using a laptop, reading a book, reading a map, playing a video game, eating, drinking, shaving and putting on make-up. All at around 60-70 mph. Perhaps it is time that the police and local authorities ended their obsession with speeding and started to deal with the increasing problem of people attempting to multi-task behind the wheel.
When people have self drive cars it will 90% of the time unless you dead
Blame the car makers for building in as standard many distracting things the most distracting is the large touchscreen now a MUST in all cars.
Like the competition between Apple and Samsung motor manufacturers try to out-do each other by including increasing amounts of technology that can be operated whilst driving. Much of it can be an unnecessary driving distraction as it was for the man who recently crashed trying to fatham-out his cruise control. The cruise control in my new vehicle proved less than intuitive even after reading the handbook (clearly written by someone for whom English was not their first language). Only government legislation will improve things.
I agree with the majority of commenters on here that the biggest distraction by far is the speedometer. Instead of driving at the most appropriate speed for the road conditions, and keeping an eye on the road and other traffic, we’re now expected to conform absolutely to often arbitrary speed limits, which requires all too frequent checks on the speedometer. Not all of us have cruise control/speed limiters; a head-up speedometer display seems like an excellent idea.
Remember the days when a stereo was a stereo? It played just music and if you were lucky it actually accepted a CD. So easy to select a track by pressing one button. Now you end up with stereos that accept aux in MP3 iPod and whatever. Too many options to scroll through menus and menus for menus to find that one track.
Car manufacturers have a lot to answer for if you ask me, they make these things far too complicated and push sales for all this in-car bling which in reality is mostly unnecessary.
Too much Road Furniture . We need to clean-up roads to reduce the distraction to look elsewhere.. Why to we need No Waiting signs too small to read on every lamp post and other put up by estate agents and Road works that have finished month ago?
Driver error has always been the major cause of accidents, whether fatal or otherwise (Road Research Laboratory). Excessive speed can increase the severity of an impact but only occasionally is the primary cause. Lack of separation distance between vehicles has become steadily more important as a primary cause as the road network has become steadily more congested.
Too many distracting things now fitted in cars many as standard Make them so they cannot be operated when the car is moving only when stopped Mobile Phones are not the only distraction used in cars even listening to the Radio can be distracting Today you NEED 100% concentration at times even more when driving the days of just looking at the road occasionally are gone
How else do you drive safely. A driver has to monitor many parameters such as periodically looking in the rear view mirror, reading traffic signs, looking at pedestrians and trying to determine what they are going to do or might do, glaning at sat-navs, vehicle instrumentation etc. etc. It is physically impossible and also tiring to stare straight ahead at the road constantly. Drivers do NOT have all round 360 dgree vision and in fact with the design of modern vehicles in particular it is impossible to have a full 180 degree view of what is in front, the ‘A’ pillars are now so wide they can even momentarily obscure something the size of a bus let alone a child or a cyclist. The amount of information a driver is now expected to be constantly be aware of is overloading our brains. Sensible speed limits are not a problem but in some locationswe now have to contend with them changing up or down in a matter of a few yards. A hire car I drove a few weeks ago suddenly and unexpectedly decided to initiate a collision warning, the noise and bright flashing LEDs took me by such surprise I almost had an accident! After a couple more instances I realised that the system coudn’t cope with a vehicle parked at the roadside on a bend, it thought I was heading straight at it. I soon lerned to ignore it.