Liberty Insurance has decided to highlight some of them with a survey of Irish drivers, and has come up with a result that shows almost half of us are doing stuff that takes our eyes off the road for longer than is safe.Much of it we do without thinking, such as changing the channel on our radio. Hey, haven't we been doing that since the first radio was installed in a car in the 1920s? Yep, but that doesn't make the process non-distractive. Indeed, the choice and complexity of our entertainment systems nowadays makes it much more so than when I started driving in the 1960s. Plus, we're stroking and poking at screens today while travelling an awful lot faster and on much busier roads.
I'll leave to one side the issues we're almost deaf to now because of repetitive warnings — talking on the phone (9 percent of respondents admitted to it), texting (4%). But what about eating? Liberty Insurance's survey pulled in a 9 percent result here, which I personally think is on the conservative side. And again, we've been doing it for decades (and fiddling with cigarettes and lighters too). But it isn't a very safe process unwrapping a chocolate bar at 120km/h while trying to steer and concentrate on the road at the same time.
It takes about ten seconds to pick it up, undress it, crack a square and get it into mouth, and tuck the remainder safely into some receptacle near the shifter. In that time you'll have travelled more than 300 metres, most of it not being aware of much that's going on out there. Much the same applies to dealing with sandwiches, breakfast baguettes, and the danger is compounded if you happen to spill some of that hot coffee as you try one-handed to get through that changing traffic light and suddenly have to brake ...
Liberty Insurance found that 46 percent of respondents admitted to some of the above and more habits while driving. Though only 3 percent of them considered themselves to be bad drivers.
In recent RSA research, driver distraction plays a role in 20-30 percent of all road collisions. In Liberty's research, 13 percent of drivers stated they engaged specifically in digital distractions behind the wheel.
I'm a driver who began young and has grown up through all the extraordinary changes which have made our cars places that are almost second homes while we travel. I'm very aware of distraction, and organised a special forum on the subject last year on behalf of the Irish Motoring Writers Association in conjunction with Continental. It's worth looking back through the stories that came out of that.
The RSA recently devoted its annual Road Safety Conference to the subject. Again, the presentations are worth looking at again.
Liberty is calling on Irish drivers to look at their own behaviour and make a change. Take action and avoid distractions. Share your #drivesafer tips via Twitter and the Liberty Insurance Facebook page. In the car with family and friends, don’t accept unsafe behaviour.
Power off your phone before your journey to avoid distractions of incoming texts. If you need to check it, pull over to a safe place
Plan your journey in advance to avoid the use of map apps while driving
Pull over to a safe place to place or take calls
Prepare a playlist/CD in advance of your journey to counteract station surfing on the radio
Preset your favourite stations to avoid unnecessary station surfing
Eat before your journey or pull over to a safe place before snacking
Check your email before your journey so that you can ensure your mind will be focused on the road
Do not engage in any social media while driving. It can wait.
They’re basic guidelines, but they could save your life. What will you pledge to help you #drivesafer?
