Kiddy distraction- an accident waiting to happen

Aussie parents have identified being distracted by their children while driving as a significant issue with one in five saying it has led to an accident or a ‘near miss’ a new study by The Buzz Insurance has found.

The Buzz Kiddy Distraction Study – Keep ‘Em Occupied And Safe revealed 95% of parents have been distracted by their children when driving, 75% find driving with kids can be stressful and 40% have difficulty controlling their offspring in the car.
CEO, The Buzz, Jacki Johnson said kiddy distraction is an important issue in the lead up to the Christmas holidays when families across the nation get ready to hit the road.

“Any sort of distraction that encourages drivers to take their eyes off the road is potentially dangerous,” Ms Johnson said.
“Unfortunately, while we can choose when to use a mobile phone or be distracted by food, drink or a GPS, fighting, screaming or upset children often invoke an instant response from the driver that may take their eyes from the road at a critical moment.”

The survey, conducted online by Newspoll nationally at the end of November among 267 drivers with children aged under eight, found two-thirds have raised their voice at their children, 48% have stopped the car and 17% have turned around and gone back home. A worrying finding was that nearly 30% of parents say they have turned around to talk to their kids in the back seat while driving.

In the study parents have demonstrated to others about how to keep kids occupied, and safe. In-car DVDs or hand-held games are commonly used by parents. Parents say they have played music (done by 75% of parents), got them to play games like I Spy (53%), put on a DVD (30%), or let them play hand-held computer games (27%).

Ms Johnson recommended that only the non-driving parent should interact with children during car trips with kids being discouraged from talking to the parent or carer who is driving.

If you have your own Kiddy Distraction experience and would like to share some tips with other parents, please leave a comment here.