The activities that most commonly distract motorists have been revealed.

A significant proportion of drivers across the UK are guilty of falling foul of dangerous distractions when behind the wheel of a vehicle, new research has shown.

A poll of 1,500 UK drivers carried out by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) in partnership with Vision Critical revealed the most common driving distractions to afflict vehicle owners, with children being in the back coming out as the top reason drivers take their attention away from the road.

Overall, 29 per cent of respondents cited kids as their chief distraction, but this was not the only issue they regularly face.

More than one quarter (27 per cent) of motorists said changing the radio station can cause them to lose focus, followed by back seat drivers (26 per cent) and dealing with sat nav devices (15 per cent).

In addition, 14 per cent said they have been distracted in the past by attractive drivers, pedestrians and passengers – although men were far more likely to make this claim than women (23 per cent compared to three per cent respectively).

IAM chief executive Simon Best stated the art of safe driving is understanding the importance of maintaining one’s focus on the task at hand and not being distracted by other activities.

“People who think they can multi-task while driving are kidding themselves. If you take your eyes off the road for just two seconds at 30 miles per hour, you’ll travel close to 90 feet, effectively blind. All drivers develop bad habits over time,” Mr Best concluded.

“The key to reducing distractions and their impact is to learn to look upon your driving as a skill that needs continuous evaluation and improvement.”

With kids playing such a major role in distracting drivers, the IAM advises planning journeys in advance to schedule in breaks for kids to get out and stretch their legs and let off steam, as this will help them to be calmer while travelling.

Packing portable games consoles and taking part in games that reward good behaviour are also advised as successful methods for keeping children occupied on a long journey. Having a second adult in the car can also have a positive influence on children’s behaviour, as they will be able to keep a closer eye on them.

Indeed, research highlighted by GEM Motoring Assist recently revealed children can be 12 times more distracting to motorists than using a mobile phone.

GEM chief executive David Williams argued motorists need to remember they only have 100 per cent concentration available to them and all of this should be focused on the task of driving.

As such, maximising everyone’s safety should always be their top priority and this means leaving issues with kids in the back until after the vehicle has come to a halt.

He stated: “In order to reduce risk on a journey, we need to be in control when we’re driving and accept that all our focus must be on the driving task. That means we must make a positive decision not to turn round, not to unwrap sweets and not to engage in distracting activities.”

Motorists should always remember that even if their children are misbehaving they should continue to pay their full attention to the road ahead; and if they have to take action to deal with unruly offspring, it is important to find a safe place to pull over first.

In conclusion, drivers need to focus all of their attention on the road ahead of them and ensure distractions from other road users, passengers and motoring habits are kept to a minimum.

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