The latest statistics analysed by the AA in its motor insurance poll of more than 21,000 motorists have revealed that road users are continuing to ignore safety initiatives of the Road Safety Authority and other bodies.
Specifically, they are driving whilst engaging in extremely distracting activities, with 73.4 percent of drivers admitting to eating, or drinking non-alcoholic beverages, whilst behind the wheel. An incredible 3.4 percent of these pursue this activity every single day.
When broken down by location, the survey revealed that Kilkenny respondents are far more likely to engage in consuming whilst driving, with 6.3 percent openly admitting that snacking on the move is part of their daily routine. On the flip side, Dubliners are the least likely to do this.
John Farrell, Director of AA Motor Insurance says that "Many motorists don't register that eating while driving is a dangerous habit to fall into, however combining eating with driving can significantly reduce your awareness levels, which in turn impacts your driver reaction times."
Other worrying self-inflicted sources of distraction whilst driving that were highlighted are reading, personal grooming (23 percent of women admitted to applying make up occasionally), the use of satnav systems and smoking, among many others.
"When distracted, your reaction times can double which significantly increases your chance of having a collision. While you can't control distractions outside your vehicle, you can and should do something about what goes on inside" concludes Farrell.