While a majority of Canadians associate distracted driving with cellphone use, possibly far fewer realize that many other activities can also be distracting to a driver, a recent poll suggests.
When respondents to the poll, conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), were asked what they associate with distracted driving, 72.2 percent first thought of cellphones.
The other top five distractions mentioned include eating and drinking (4 percent), passengers (3.4 percent), other drivers on the road (2.9 percent), and changing the radio station or CDs (2.8 percent).
The lower numbers suggest that people may not fully appreciate the complete spectrum of behaviours that are distracting to a driver, say TIRF researchers.
“Distraction is a diversion of the driver’s attention from the driving task,” says TIRF president and CEO Robyn Robertson.
“This issue is much broader than just cellphones and includes distractions inside the vehicle such as eating, drinking, smoking, as well as distractions outside the vehicle such as looking at billboards, other drivers, and scenery along the road.”
Although data collection on distracted driving-related collisions in Canada is in its early stages, TIRF says driver distraction is a factor in 20–30 percent of road accidents.
The Canadian Automobile Association estimates that 8 out of every 10 collisions are caused by driver distraction. The organization cites distracted driving as one of the “great unreported traffic safety problems” on Canadian roads today.
“More data collection and research on distracted driving-related collisions is needed to better understand the magnitude and characteristics of the distracted driving problem in Canada,” says Robinson.
The TIRF poll found that less than 20 percent of respondents admitted to using cellphones and other technical devices, but many admitted to engaging in other distracting activities, such as talking or interacting with passengers (67 percent) and changing the radio station or CDs while driving (45.8 percent).
These findings suggest that a large number of drivers engage in distracting behaviours and may not be aware that they are putting themselves, their passengers, and other road users at risk, the researchers say.
In 2010, police ticketed an Ontario man who had the interior light on in his car so that he could read and drive. Another Ontario man stopped by police had a TV set on the front seat of his vehicle so he could watch as he drove.
A lack of attention can result in a slower reaction time and other driving errors which can lead to near misses and crashes, says Robertson.
The poll found that while few drivers admitted to being in a collision in the last year due to being distracted, far more admitted to having to brake or steer to avoid a collision in the last month because of a distraction.
The poll also asked respondents to rate their level of concern for various road safety issues. For the first time ever in a TIRF survey, more people considered texting while driving a very or extremely serious problem (90.2 percent), surpassing both concern about drinking drivers (84.5 percent) and young drinking drivers (83 percent).
“This indicates that Canadians certainly seem to be concerned about the issue of distracted driving, although they may not fully appreciate the scope of potential distractions, and as a consequence continue to engage in distracting behaviours,” says Robertson.
Except for Nunavut, all provinces and territories have banned the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving. However, in Ontario alone last year, police charged 8,522 drivers for using a hand-held device while operating a vehicle.
When respondents to the poll, conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), were asked what they associate with distracted driving, 72.2 percent first thought of cellphones.
The other top five distractions mentioned include eating and drinking (4 percent), passengers (3.4 percent), other drivers on the road (2.9 percent), and changing the radio station or CDs (2.8 percent).
The lower numbers suggest that people may not fully appreciate the complete spectrum of behaviours that are distracting to a driver, say TIRF researchers.
“Distraction is a diversion of the driver’s attention from the driving task,” says TIRF president and CEO Robyn Robertson.
“This issue is much broader than just cellphones and includes distractions inside the vehicle such as eating, drinking, smoking, as well as distractions outside the vehicle such as looking at billboards, other drivers, and scenery along the road.”
Although data collection on distracted driving-related collisions in Canada is in its early stages, TIRF says driver distraction is a factor in 20–30 percent of road accidents.
The Canadian Automobile Association estimates that 8 out of every 10 collisions are caused by driver distraction. The organization cites distracted driving as one of the “great unreported traffic safety problems” on Canadian roads today.
“More data collection and research on distracted driving-related collisions is needed to better understand the magnitude and characteristics of the distracted driving problem in Canada,” says Robinson.
The TIRF poll found that less than 20 percent of respondents admitted to using cellphones and other technical devices, but many admitted to engaging in other distracting activities, such as talking or interacting with passengers (67 percent) and changing the radio station or CDs while driving (45.8 percent).
These findings suggest that a large number of drivers engage in distracting behaviours and may not be aware that they are putting themselves, their passengers, and other road users at risk, the researchers say.
In 2010, police ticketed an Ontario man who had the interior light on in his car so that he could read and drive. Another Ontario man stopped by police had a TV set on the front seat of his vehicle so he could watch as he drove.
A lack of attention can result in a slower reaction time and other driving errors which can lead to near misses and crashes, says Robertson.
The poll found that while few drivers admitted to being in a collision in the last year due to being distracted, far more admitted to having to brake or steer to avoid a collision in the last month because of a distraction.
The poll also asked respondents to rate their level of concern for various road safety issues. For the first time ever in a TIRF survey, more people considered texting while driving a very or extremely serious problem (90.2 percent), surpassing both concern about drinking drivers (84.5 percent) and young drinking drivers (83 percent).
“This indicates that Canadians certainly seem to be concerned about the issue of distracted driving, although they may not fully appreciate the scope of potential distractions, and as a consequence continue to engage in distracting behaviours,” says Robertson.
Except for Nunavut, all provinces and territories have banned the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving. However, in Ontario alone last year, police charged 8,522 drivers for using a hand-held device while operating a vehicle.
