Drivers in Canada are more concerned about distracted drivers than drunk drivers, a new survey suggests.
An annual report from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), which looks at trends, attitudes and practices related to distracted driving shows that concerns have risen dramatically from 33.4 percent in 2004 to 75.9 percent in 2018.
Data from the Road Safety Monitor (RSM) also reveals that over this time period, 36.5 percent of Canadians reported talking on their hands-free phone while driving in 2018 compared to 21.7 percent in 2010.
There was also a 56 percent increase to 7.5 percent in 2018 compared to 4.8 percent in 2010 in those who reported texting while driving.
“To put distracted driving in context with other road safety issues, concern with distracted driving was compared to the RSM self-reported concern with drinking and driving,” said Craig Lyon, Senior Research Scientist at TIRF.
“Concern for drinking and driving has decreased from a high of 80.6 percent in 2004 to a low of 64.5 percent in 2018. These results demonstrate that, at 75.9 percent, the issue of distracted driving is now a greater concern for Canadians although there is still a substantial concern with regard to drinking and driving.
“Given that the road environment can change in a matter of seconds, all forms of distraction should be avoided so that drivers can always focus their complete attention on the driving task.”
