Most Parents Report Distracted Driving

In a new survey, nearly 90% of parents admitted to being distracted by technology in the last month while driving with their kids. The activities ranged from talking on the phone or texting to fiddling with the GPS or DVD player. And there were old-style distractions, too, such as eating or picking up a toy. The top distraction was phone calls. Nearly 75% of parents talked on the phone while driving. About 600 parents took part in the survey. They answered questions while their children were being treated for a variety of reasons in an emergency room. The children's ages ranged from 1 through 12. About 70% said they did something related to child care while driving. Examples included feeding the child or picking up a toy. Nearly as many reported self-care, such as eating or grooming. About half were distracted by seeking directions on a GPS or map. Similar numbers did something related to entertainment, such as changing a DVD. About 15% reported texting while driving. Parents who reported distractions were also more likely to have been in a car accident at some point. The study was presented at a conference. HealthDay News wrote about it May 6.

By Claire McCarthy, M.D.
Harvard Medical School

What Is the Doctor's Reaction?

When we think of distracted drivers, we tend to think about teenagers, or those erratic drivers in front of us who don't use their turn signals because they are holding their phones. We don't necessarily think about … parents.

But, it turns out, parents can be very distracted drivers. In a study just released, researchers from Michigan did a survey of more than 600 adults. All were parents and caregivers of children ages 1 through 12 who were seen in an emergency room for any reason.

Researchers asked the parents how often in the last month they had performed certain distracting activities while driving with their child in the car. Here are the rough percentages that reported doing each of these activities:

• Phone calls (handheld or hands-free): 75%
• Child care (feeding, picking up a dropped toy): 70%
• Self-care (grooming, eating): 70%
• Directions (checking navigation system or map): 50%
• Entertainment (changing CD or DVD): 50%
• Texting: 15%

Almost 90% said they had engaged in at least one technology-based distraction in the last month.

These activities are not all equally dangerous. Munching on a pretzel or listening to your GPS system tell you to turn right is absolutely not as dangerous as texting or leaning back to grab a dropped toy.

But we know that distractions can lead to accidents. Among these parents, people who used a phone or did self-care while driving were more than twice as likely to have ever been in a motor vehicle crash. Those who did child care or got directions were just under twice as likely. Drivers who had ever been in a crash were more likely to report some sort of distracted driving than drivers never involved in a crash.

Another interesting finding was that parents whose children were not restrained in the car properly (according to Michigan law) more often reported child care distractions or texting.

What Changes Can I Make Now?

All passengers are precious cargo, but children are especially precious. They count on parents and caregivers to keep them safe.

Distractions cause accidents. We talk a lot about cell phones, but anything can do it. You could be changing a radio station, or just turning to talk to the person next to you. Anything that takes your eyes and concentration off the road can lead to a crash. It's crucial that parents and caregivers understand this.

It's hard not to have any distractions. But you can limit them. Here are a few things you can do:

• It's best to pull over to make a phone call. If you have to make a call while driving, use a hands-free device.
• If snacks or toys are needed for a ride, do some planning to make sure they are within your children's reach.
• Make rules for the car. Let your kids know that you simply aren't going to fix the DVD or change the music or reach back to get something while you are driving. Then they'll be less likely to get upset and you'll be less likely to be tempted to break your rules. Don't try to explain it to them while you're in the car. Talk about it ahead of time.
• Whenever possible, have another adult (or at least an older child) with you when taking long car trips with children.
• Resist the temptation to do a drive-thru for meals. Stop and eat. Between eating yourself and reaching back to grab or give food, you are putting everyone at risk.
• Know where you are going ahead of time. This helps avoid the distraction of figuring it out on a map or your smart phone while driving. If you need to use a GPS system, use one that tells you what to do, as opposed to one that you need to look at. If you do need to look at it, mount it on the dashboard to minimize the amount of time your eyes are off the road.

What Can I Expect Looking to the Future?

If we don't work to limit distractions, what we can expect is more motor vehicle accidents. I hope that this study will be a wake-up call -- and will help save lives.