Older drivers more likely to be distracted
These damn kids using their phones while driving, right?
A recent article on wearing headphones and using digital devices while driving attracted plenty of comments, with a lot of them referring to all these ‘‘kids’’ using their mobile devices and not concentrating on driving.
That is a very widely held opinion. And it would appear to be wrong.
A recent study commissioned by Volvo in the United States showed that members of Generation X (people born between the mid-1960s and early 80s) are far more likely to use their phone when driving than millennials (early 80s to late 90s) and Gen Z (late 90s on).
It also revealed that an alarming majority of people still use their phone while they are driving (71 per cent), and identifying Generation Xs as the most prevalent distracted drivers.
Many of those surveyed feel there are more driving distractions today than there were five years ago, with more than half (55 per cent) feeling the top threat to safety on the road is driving distracted, compared with driving under the influence (31 per cent).
While ‘‘the kids’’ are largely the ones accused of being obsessed with their mobile devices, the study actually showed that Gen Xs and millennials consistently outpace Gen Zs in phone usage in cars across most activities.
Worryingly, the US study showed that parents (those with children under 18 in the household) are the worst offenders of using their phones while behind the wheel (73 per cent compared with 66 per cent overall), with one in three parents admitting to using their phones ‘‘often’’ when their children are in the car with them.
And it seems the younger generations are more aware of the need to reduce distractions while driving as well – although 64 per cent of people surveyed said they were looking for ways to cut down on the distractions, that number rises to
89 per cent among Gen Z. Tellingly, it seems most people are more willing to blame the other guy when it comes to being a distracted driver, with 92 per cent saying they think other drivers post on social media on the road, but only
23 per cent admit to doing it themselves – a 69 per cent gap.