Survey reveals SA's worst driving habits

Using a cellular phone is the most common kind of distractive behaviour South Africans are guilty of behind the wheel, surpassing other distractive driving habits by more than 50%.

This is according to a recent CIB Insurance Administrators (CIB) survey, which asked local drivers to choose one of four actions they were most guilty of when driving. The overwhelming majority (70%) of respondents admitted that they are guilty of using a cellular phone behind the wheel.

Eating and drinking while driving was the second most common distraction, with 17% of respondents admitting to this behaviour. Personal grooming in the rear-view mirror and concentrating on a GPS device instead of the road were ranked third and fourth, scoring 7% and 6% respectively.

According to Andrew Lilley, Chief Operating Officer at CIB, this is an alarming statistic given South Africa’s high road accident rate. “Disturbingly, people don’t realise that these habits reduce awareness levels and can delay their reaction time by twice the normal amount. When distracted, reaction time doubles, which significantly increases the chance of having a collision.”

He says that according to the AA, driver distraction is probably six times more dangerous than driving drunk. “The context of distracted driving is terrifying when taking into account that a driver just over the legal alcohol limit of 0.05 has a potential risk of being involved in a crash 15 times more than a sober person.”

The US National Highway Traffic Administration revealed that distracted drivers are about four times more likely to become involved in an accident and drivers who are texting can be more than 20 times more likely to crash than non-distracted drivers. It was also revealed by the US Driver Department of Transportation that distraction was involved in 5 474 fatal crashes in 2009.

Lilley says that most road accidents occur because drivers are not paying attention whilst driving. “Greater awareness and responsible driving practices need to be employed by all members of society in order to lower the number of accidents we are witnessing on our roads.

“There are already a great number of distractions that arise outside the vehicle, and due to the unpredictability of what other drivers are going to do in these situations, one needs to be aware of their surroundings at all times. Drivers are not able to do this if they are engaged with their own distractive habits.”

Lilley recommends that drivers should also keep a safe following distance from other vehicles to lengthen their reaction time. “Keeping your eyes on the road, being conscious of other drivers and employing defensive driving techniques will help keep a clear head and enable drivers to be more focused on driving.”

He says that other major distractions that should be avoided while on the move include changing CDs or operating the radio, searching for dropped items, using a map, tending to children and smoking.

“Traffic jams and slow moving traffic tend to offer drivers a reprieve from focusing on the road and are common areas where awareness levels plummet and distracting behaviours kick in. Drivers should ensure that they avoid distractions during these times.

“Furthermore, stricter, overt law enforcement practices will also discourage drivers from distractive behaviour and lower the likelihood of reckless driving,” concludes Lilley.