Research reveals drivers spend seven per cent of journeys not looking at the road
A study claims distractions, such as mobile phones, are causing drivers to look away from the road ahead of them
Drivers take their eyes off the road seven per cent of the time, new research suggests.
A test of driver awareness found that during a one hour, 30-mile journey, motorists looked away from the road for an average of two miles. This equates to 3,350m, or 32 football pitches.
The data was obtained from an eye-tracking study by French carmaker Peugeot, which involved 25 six-mile drives around the same route. The drives were undertaken by different motorists using an array of compact-SUV vehicles.
The selected route had a variety of road types and speed limits. Eye movement was tracked using Tobii Pro Glasses 2, which have six small cameras that map where the retina is looking every 0.05 seconds.
UK managing director David Peel said: “We all know the dangers of taking your eyes off the road, whether to adjust the radio or the temperature in the car.
“When you add the continued distraction of mobile phones, talking to passengers, something catching your eye outside the car and even eating or drinking a coffee, it’s easy to see how the average driver could be in control of a car yet not be looking at the road for over 3,350m in a one-hour journey.”
Peugeot commissioned the study to demonstrate the update of its i-Cockpit system. First introduced in 2012, the design includes a smaller steering wheel and a raised instrument panel to promote less eye movement during driving. The updated version, which features an eight-inch touchscreen and customisable head-up instrument panel, is fitted to the 3008 and 5008 SUVs.
Peel added that the design reduces “the need for drivers to look away from the road” which, therefore, enhances driver safety.
According to the Department for Transport, the police recorded 397 fatal incidents in 2016 which were caused or partly caused by the driver’s “failure to look”. A further 140 incidents were recorded which involved the driver getting distracted by in-vehicle objects, outside-vehicle objects, or their phone.
A spokesperson for road safety charity Brake said: “Driving is the most dangerous thing most of us do on a daily basis; it is a complex task, that requires your full attention to do so safely.
“Attempting any type of activity that takes your eyes off the road increases your chances of causing a crash, and killing or seriously injuring someone. Our roads are busy places, and we would urge drivers to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel – it’s simply not worth the risk.”
