Photo credit: Phil and Pam Gradwell (to be)
Do you concentrate when you’re driving? If you ever daydream or don’t pay full attention to the road while you’re behind the wheel then you’re not alone. New research has found that less than two thirds of motorists concentrate when they are driving, with young drivers the worst culprits.
Failing to concentrate while at the wheel could result in an accident and injury to you or others. If you drive your car under a car lease or contract hire agreement it could also result in expensive repair costs and a loss of your insurance no-claims bonus. Here, we look at this research and why it’s vital that you concentrate when you’re driving your car.
Just three in five drivers concentrate when behind the wheel
A poll carried out by the Institute of Advanced Motorists and Vision Critical of nearly 1,500 drivers has found that just sixty per cent of drivers concentrate when they are behind the wheel.
The problem was worse in younger drivers. 50 per cent of younger drivers aged 18-24 admit to not concentrating on driving all of the time. Not far behind, 47 per cent of 24-34 year olds admit to not concentrating.
The research found that older drivers are much less likely to lose concentration while driving. Seventy-three per cent of over 65 year-olds say they concentrate on the road all of the time that they are driving. Twenty-six per cent said that they concentrate most of the time.
The reasons given for not paying full attention behind the wheel were varied. Nearly a quarter of drivers (24 per cent) say that simply daydreaming was the most common reason for not concentrating. Among 18-24 year-olds the figure is almost a third, at 30 per cent.
Other reasons given for not concentrating include stress (22 per cent), thinking about what you will be doing when you arrive (21 per cent) and thinking about family, friends and personal relationships (21 per cent).
Londoners the most likely to lose concentration when driving
The IAM research found geographical differences in concentration levels behind the wheel. Londoners are most likely to be distracted while driving, with forty-seven per cent admitting to not concentrating one hundred per cent on the road.
Yorkshire and Humberside, the South West and Scotland were not far behind with 46 per cent of motorists saying they sometimes failed to give the road their full attention.
The best areas were the North East and Wales where almost two thirds of drivers (64 per cent) said they concentrate all the time.
IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Signs of not concentrating such as missed turnings or uncancelled indicator lights are commonplace. Simply not concentrating is a key cause of crashes yet it is not borne out in statistics because drivers rarely admit to it in police reports or on insurance forms.”
“These results reconfirm stereotypes surrounding younger drivers and the ease with which they can be distracted away from staying safe. The key is to build up as wide a range of experiences as possible as you learn and to look upon your driving as a skill that needs continuous improvement.”