A poll by the UK’s biggest road safety charity IAM RoadSmart reveals that UK drivers appear to treat the driving seat as an extension of their home, with a wide range of day-to-day activities going on behind the wheel.

The poll of more than 2,300 visitors to their website has lifted the lid on some of the worst motoring distractions drivers have spotted on the road. The three most frequently observed activities are smoking, eating, and drinking – all of which have been observed by more than 95 per cent of those surveyed. But more surprisingly ‘telling off children’, dealing with pets and even ‘styling hair’ were also high in the charts.

Sarah Sillars, IAM RoadSmart chief executive officer, said: “We understand that the pressures of modern life mean we cannot always keep our cool, especially when children and pets often don’t understand the concept of ‘concentration.’ But it is exactly in these situations that a tragedy can occur. Talking to any passengers can wait until there are no other potential problems around. Pets should always be securely transported in their carriers.”

Repeat Offenders Most worryingly many of these distracting behaviours are being witnessed time and time again on nearly every journey. Of those surveyed a quarter saw someone drinking at the wheel every day and a fifth saw someone eating. Modern distractions too are high on the list, with some 63 per cent of those surveyed having seen a driver look at a laptop or tablet screen.

“As far as the other bad habits revealed in the survey,” continued Sillars, “these are all things that should be done at either end of the journey – not during it. We need to persuade drivers there is no such thing as ‘multitasking’ when it comes to motoring. Driving needs to be the sole activity going on whilst at the wheel. Everything else can wait.”