Children - '˜the biggest distraction for South East drivers'

While mobile phones and fiddling with the stereo might cause drivers to lose concentration it's actually our nearest and dearest who are the biggest distraction while we're at the wheel, according to a new survey.
Tablet computers are one of the most popular ways of distracting misbehaving children SUS-160804-131747001Tablet computers are one of the most popular ways of distracting misbehaving children SUS-160804-131747001
Tablet computers are one of the most popular ways of distracting misbehaving children SUS-160804-131747001

The study for The Car People found that more than half (55 per cent) of parents in the South East said that having their children in the car was the biggest distraction while driving.

The age-old cry of “are we there yet?” might be one familiar to anyone who has taken their youngsters on an even slightly long journey - in fact kids ask it up to three times an hour - but it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the off-putting antics of our offspring.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Fighting, vomiting, throwing food, undoing their seatbelt and having tantrums are all regular problems facing families on long journeys.

And, according to the research, drivers in the region say that their child kicking the back of the seat in front is one of the biggest problems. In fact, 56 per cent say that their youngster does it on a regular basis.

Having to break up battles between squabbling siblings is also a major headache for mums and dads. Sixty per cent of parents said that it’s a sibling that makes their child misbehave most.

What’s more 20 per cent say they have to pull over at least once every long car journey due to their child playing up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A fifth (21 per cent) of parents put their kids’ naughtiness down to boredom and the study found they had a variety of methods to try to calm grumpy youngsters down, ranging from high-tech gadgets to good old-fashioned bribery.

Tablet computers and DVDs were popular ways to distract back-seat travellers, with 42 per cent of kids surveyed said they’d been given a tablet computer to keep them occupied. And 18 per cent of parents say they’ve used food as a peace offering.

It wasn’t just mums and dads who got their say on back-seat behaviour, the study also questions the youngsters themselves.

Rather than boredom, the biggest cause of acting up (31 per cent) was not wanting to be strapped in, according to the children.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And it’s bad news for mums, with 48 per cent of kids admitting they act up more for mum than dad.

But they also pointed the finger at badly behaved drivers, with 15 per cent saying they’ve seen mum or dad answer the phone while driving.

As part of the survey, The Car People fitted several cars with cameras to see what youngsters really get up to while on the move. You can see the hilarious results here http://www.thecarpeople.co.uk/blog/are-we-there-yet

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage

2) Like our Facebook page

3) Follow us on Twitter

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

Always the first with your local news.

Be part of it