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TALKING TO PASSENGERS AND DAYDREAMING ARE BIGGER CAUSES OF DISTRACTED DRIVING MISTAKES THAN USING A PHONE, A NEW SURVEY SUGGESTS. 09:24, 03 Jun 2025 Drivers who talk to passengers in their
cars have been warned they face "catastrophic consequences". Talking to passengers and daydreaming are bigger causes of distracted driving mistakes than using a phone, a new survey
suggests. The RAC, which commissioned the poll, warned that distractions can have “catastrophic consequences”. More than three out of five (63%) of the 2,691 UK drivers surveyed said they
have made mistakes behind the wheel because they were distracted. RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “Talking to passengers or daydreaming are so common that they aren’t perceived
by drivers to be big distractions, but our research has revealed they are in fact responsible for most of the errors drivers admit to, whether that’s missing a turning, exceeding the speed
limit or ending up in the wrong lane. READ MORE UK FACES 'SPANISH SCORCHER' HEATWAVE WITH 31C AS EXACT DATE IT STARTS ANNOUNCED “While dropping an item or applying make-up are
clearly extremely distracting and dangerous, they’re fortunately far less common than every-day things like talking to another passenger, an interfering thought or spotting something
interesting outside the vehicle. Article continues below “Although your eyes are on the road, it’s easy for your mind to wander behind the wheel, especially on long journeys.
"Distractions can have catastrophic consequences for both drivers themselves and other road users, especially in extreme instances like failing to stop at a junction or at red light or
crossing. “The practice of driving is second nature for many of us, but our research suggests things we do without thinking in the car have far more potential to cause us to make errors than
we might realise. Article continues below "Driving is still a very mentally demanding task, especially as we need to be able to react to what’s in front in a split-second, so it’s
important we do everything we can to stay alert and minimise distractions.” The latest Government data shows 940 people were killed or seriously injured in 2023 where drivers were found to
be distracted by something within the vehicle they were travelling in.