Eyes off the road: Things people do while 'driving'
As the holiday season gets underway, DW takes a look at what distracts people when they get behind the wheel. A recent study shows that more of us are focusing on other things while driving.
The biggest distraction
You don't have to try very hard to guess what the biggest distraction is when driving: talking on the phone. Close to three in four drivers surveyed by Statista admitted to talking on the phone at least once while driving. According to the National Safety Council, 21 percent of accidents in the US occur when drivers are talking on handheld or hands-free phones.
Texting while driving
Around 45 percent of drivers read texts, while 37 percent sent messages behind the wheel, according to Statista. It is such a growing concern for road safety campaigners that 298 road signs have been put up to discourage drivers from texting and driving, according to New York's Governor of State.
Kill time with a mobile device
Being stuck in a traffic jam isn't only frustrating, it can also be boring. More than one in three drivers in the US will use that opportunity to look up something on their smartphone or tablet. And 12 percent of them do it even while driving, according to Statista.
Personal grooming
Being in a rush for work and not having time to put on make up is apparently left to the car, according to 27 percent of drivers who participated in the Statista study. It is not uncommon to see women putting on mascara or touching up their lip gloss in a side mirror. While they touch up their makeup, men are said to shave.
Live tweet updates from behind the wheel
Checking and posting to social media on the road is also popular, according to the Statista study. It is so common that in the last week the hashtag #driving was tweeted 5,000 times by 11 am CET Monday, according to social analytic site Topsy. The Statista study revealed that 24 percent of drivers posted to social media at least once, whereas 11 percent did this frequently.
Taking selfies
Brits take the most photos of themselves behind the wheel (33 percent), according to Ford Motor Company. Germany and France come in it at 28 percent. Taking selfies is also common in Romania with 27 percent and in Italy with 26 percent, whilst in Belgium the figure lies at 17 percent. The most common hashtag is #DrivingSelfie, which drivers post while tempting fate behind the wheel.
Reading on the road
Around one in five of drivers surveyed by Statista admitted to reading at least once while driving - 11 percent will have a book behind the wheel frequently. Watching videos was the least favorite habit amongst drivers with 13 percent watching a video at least once and five percent doing it often.