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Driven to distraction
01:45, Aug 29 2011
Drive Talking
by Ian Johnson, drivingforce.uk.net
WHEN IT comes to a solution to kids distracting mum or dad at the wheel it appears we are most definitely not there yet.
With the summer holidays soon to draw to a close many parents have had their stress levels turbo-boosted in the car by the problem of children arguing, fighting and being impatient.
A survey by Post Office Car Insurance has revealed that one in 10 parents are frequently distracted by kids in the car with four to seven year olds causing the most problems.
Only eight per cent stated that they were never distracted by their children in the car.
The result also shows that around 95 minutes traveling time is the point when seat-kicking, fiddling with electric windows, crying and disruptive behaviour becomes a real problem.
Apart from in-car cinema, games consoles and a refreshment bar in the back of the car there is no real solution.
I have seen some crackpot schemes including a design for a futuristic vehicle in which the driver is isolated in a pod at the front of the car.
Good thinking but you would have to have a childminder in the back and I fear robotics have not exactly proceeded apace with that idea.
Distraction is one of the major causes of serious accidents and turning the head to deal with a problem in the back can have dire consequences.
It might be an idea to look to the past and have a go at guessing games like I-Spy or counting the number of trucks on the way.
Or there is the really clever option of offering a reward to the child who can stay silent for the longest time.
Whatever method is employed the fact remains that trying to sort out a scrap in the rear seat while doing 60mph is just as big a distraction as making a call on a mobile handset.
