New app teaches safer driving
Nearly a quarter of young drivers were involved in accident, or nearly were, because of being distracted behind the wheel last year.
Research from Goodyear Tyres as part of their Young Driver programme, spoke to 1,000 drivers aged 17-25 and found that 18% admitted to driving through a red light due to being distracted, 42% said they used their phones while driving with one in 10 saying they logged onto social media.
It found that 23% had a near miss or accident because of this.
The survey also found that 27% admit to using sites like Spotify or Deezer whilst driving, 49% of whom are aged 17-19.
Personal grooming is also distracting young drivers. Over one in 10 (13%) young drivers also admitted to regularly applying make-up or skin products behind the wheel, whilst 11% have styled or brushed their hair.
Kate Rock, Goodyear Tyres, said, ‘The worrying statistic is that over a quarter (28%) of those young drivers who had a near miss or accident didn’t tell their parents about the incident. This increases to one in three of drivers aged 17-19 years old who keep the collision a secret.
‘A major study by TRL in 2008 reported that one in five young drivers are likely to have an accident in the first six months of driving, so it’s imperative that more education is provided to make young drivers aware of the dangers of distractions, so that safe driving becomes second nature.’
As a result of the findings, Goodyear has launched a VR app in partnership with the Driving Instructors Association (DIA), with the aim of tackling young driver distractions. Players will aim to drive as far as they can in a safe manner whilst they are increasingly exposed to challenging distractions and obstacles.
The Goodyear Driving Academy app can be found at drivingacademy.goodyear.co.uk.
