Children are 12 times more distracting to a driver than talking on a mobile phone while at the wheel, a new first-of-its-kind study has found.
Children are 12 times more distracting to a driver than talking on a mobile phone while at the wheel, a new first-of-its-kind study has found. Researchers from the Monash University Accident Research Centre found the average parent takes their eyes off the road for three minutes and 22 seconds during a 16-minute trip. Associate Professor Judith Charlton and Dr Sjaan Koppel at MUARC used cars fitted with a discrete recording system which monitored the driving behaviour of 12 families over three weeks. The families had an average of two children, between 1-8 years of age. The study analysed 92 trips for any potentially distracting activities undertaken by the driver. This included all activities that distracted the driver for more than two seconds while the vehicle was in motion.
