Male drivers more likely to be distracted behind the wheel

A recent survey of 1,350 drivers has found that male drivers are more likely to get distracted while driving than their female counterparts. Respondents were given a list of common distractions and were asked to admit which of the occurrences on the list they were guilty of.

The biggest overall distractions in the car were the stereo, which 76% of drivers admitted to fiddling with instead of concentrating on the road, according to the results of the study run by Australian insurance group NRMA. Music and drinking beverages were also high up on the list amongst all drivers - but the men in the survey reported more instances of near-crashes due to distraction, with a whopping 30% admitting to nearly crashing. Only 20% of female respondents reported near crashes due to distraction. Oddly enough, being distracted while trying to catch a glimpse of someone from the opposite sex was not one of the factors on the list.

In a bad sign for road safety campaigns everywhere, it was found that almost 20% of drivers were messaging or texting while on the road even though the vast majority recognized how dangerous this was.

In stark contrast to popular stereotypes, the study also found that only 11% of women admitted to applying makeup in the car however more respondents admitted to other distracting activities such as reading maps, reading the newspaper, shaving, kissing and chasing insects.