A new survey of car crashes has highlighted the fact that most accidents in Australia are caused by drivers not paying attention. AMTA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Althaus, said driver inattention accounted for nearly half of all accidents according to drivers and highlighted the need to reduce distractions while behind the wheel.

Car insurer AAMI said despite the millions of dollars spent warning motorists against speeding, fatigue and drink-driving, almost half of all crashes on Australian roads could be averted by drivers simply paying more attention, the 2008 AAMI Crash Index shows.

“Absent-mindedness is a factor in 44 per cent of all car collisions, with drivers much more likely to crash due to their own inattention than from speeding, fatigue and alcohol combined,” AAMI Public Affairs Manager Geoff Hughes said.

“While speed, fatigue and alcohol are factors in 37 per cent of car crashes, AAMI’s research shows inattention is the number one reason drivers crash into another vehicle or stationary object.”

Mr Althaus said drivers must be aware that trying to stop the kids arguing in the back seat, changing a CD, eating or sipping coffee, using a hand-held mobile phone or staring at a billboard can interfere with the task of driving.

“Any activity that takes a driver’s mind off driving, their hands off the wheel or eyes off the road is dangerous. Safety is the most important call that drivers can make,” he said.

Mr Hughes applauded state and federal campaigns to reduce the national road toll, but said individual drivers ultimately had the power to avert most crashes by changing their behaviour and paying more attention.

“While governments and the police can discourage speeding and drink-driving through education and enforcement, it’s impossible to legislate against absent-mindedness,” Mr Hughes said.

“Drivers need to make better decisions about their fitness to drive, whether it be refraining from driving when emotionally charged or consciously taking a break when fatigue sets in.”

Consulting psychologist John Cheetham agreed, saying the high number of drivers attributing their crashes to inattention was symptomatic of a driving culture that is mindful of everything but driving. “The lifestyles of working professionals, stay-at-home parents, and even secondary and tertiary students, is such that when they get in their car they have a tendency to go into auto-pilot, leaving them free to focus on everything else that is happening in their lives when they should be thinking about their driving,” Mr Cheetham said.

“To improve their concentration and prevent avoidable crashes, drivers must use good judgement and not drive when their minds are highly-focussed on work or social issues. Getting safely from A to B must be the priority for drivers, from the time they turn on the ignition to the time they turn it

off,” Mr Cheetham said.

Mr Althaus said drivers needed to be reminded that using a legal hands-free mobile phone while driving is not appropriate in all driving circumstances.

“We stress that although a hands-free device can reduce the physical effort to make and receive calls, drivers should avoid making calls in adverse traffic, road or weather conditions and avoid complex or emotional conversations. Safety is the most important call drivers can make,” he said.

“While technology can address physical and visual factors, education and awareness is required to address cognitive factors. Therefore, the most useful action governments can take is to help educate drivers about the appropriate use of mobile telecommunications products in vehicles.

AMTA’s driving safety tips are widely used by fleet owners and motoring organisations and can be viewed under consumer tips at www.amta.org.au

The full 2008 AAMI Crash Index is available at www.aami.com.au