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Adult drivers are regularly distracted by young passengers
increasing the risk of being involved in a road accident - 19th
February 2008
Child passengers can be a dangerous distraction whist driving
according to a survey by Citroen. Around 90 percent of survey of
1,000 people said that they had been distracted by children
while driving on one or more occasions.
Of those questioned 25 percent said that distractions caused
by child passengers had either caused or nearly caused a
car accident.
Where
road accidents were the result of child distractions, almost
half of the children were aged under two, with a further third
being aged three to eight.
These accidents can also lead to unnecessary
car accident claims
against the drivers insurance, and maybe the loss of no claims
discount.
For 10 percent of the survey fighting, screaming and
all-round misbehaviour was a regular occurrence on car journeys
from children.
Other findings were that the average time for youngsters to
become restless is between 15 and 30 minutes with distractions
such as fighting, arguing, crying and chocking.
Head of education at road
safety charity Brake, Jools Townsend said: "Drivers must be
able to concentrate fully on the road and when children are a
distraction this poses a real danger. It only takes a split
second to lose concentration and crash. "It is essential that
drivers ensure
children are securely strapped in before setting off and
that they have something to keep them occupied. Also explain the
dangers of distracting the driver.
If children are misbehaving then find somewhere safe to pull
over and calm them down."
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