Car drivers take their eyes off the road for over two miles in every one-hour journey, according to research conducted by Peugeot.
The French car manufacturer studied multiple drivers during 25 identical six-mile trips. The drivers wore specially-developed glasses to analyse where their eyes looked. On average, the drivers were found to have their eyes off the road 7% of the time. During a one-hour drive at 30mph, this equates to drivers travelling over 3,350 metres without looking at the road.
“We all know the dangers of taking your eyes off the road, whether to adjust the radio or the temperature in the car,” said Peugeot UK Managing Director David Peel. “When you add the continued distraction of mobile phones, talking to passengers, something catching your eye outside the car and even eating or drinking a coffee, it’s easy to see how the average driver could be in control of a car yet not be looking at the road for over 3,350 metres in a one-hour journey.”
Peugeot commissioned the study to determine the effectiveness of its i-Cockpit® system which has a smaller steering wheel and raised instrument panel to help encourage less eye movement during driving. Drivers using the system were found to have their eyes on the road 95% of the time, compared to 93% for drivers without it.
