Motoring: Allstate study finds 75 per cent of Canadians drive while distracted

Textting, taking or making calls, fiddling with the radio, eating, putting on makeup-these are just some of the many distractions that can turn a commute into an accident. A poll conducted by Allstate Canada reveals some surprising information about the way we drive.

Distracted driving consists of visual, manual or cognitive distractions. The most common are talking on a mobile phone or texting while driving, changing a CD, eating or drinking, using an electronic device such as a GPS, applying makeup, or being preoccupied with passengers.

Canadians perceive the types of distracted driving behaviours differently. The poll found that 88 per cent perceive texting while driving negatively, but only 19 per cent have a negative view of adjusting the radio or iPod, even though both take the driver’s eyes off the road. Regardless of the distraction, looking away for five seconds at 90 km/h is like driving the length of a football field completely blind

"Our research shows that Canadians do not fully understand what is considered to be a distraction while driving and continue to engage in those dangerous behaviours," Saskia Matheson of Allstate Insurance Company of Canada said in a news release.

Eight out of ten accidents are caused by distracted driving, the report adds.

Raynald Marchand of the Canada Safety Council says many accidents are caused by drivers thinking they can multitask.

"Most people think they are very good drivers, but in reality, most drivers are average drivers," he told CTV News Channel. "Most people overly-estimate their capacity to deal with several things at once."

Other survey highlights:

• 25 per cent of Canadians say they knew someone in an accident caused by a distracted driver
• 37 per cent of Canadians ages 18 to 24 say they knew someone in an accident caused by a distracted driver
• 92 per cent of Canadians said they would speak to the driver of their vehicle if they thought the driver was distracted

The survey was conducted between July 26 and July 28 with 1,605 Canadian adults interviewed. The survey has a margin of error of 2.4 per cent.