from Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
There has been considerable discussion
about distracted driving, but a study
presented to the Pediatric Academic
Societies annual meeting is especially
sobering. Researchers from the University
of Michigan surveyed more than six
hundred parents to find what distractions
they face while driving with their children.
Distractions included talking on the phone,
texting, grooming or eating, tending to the
child’s needs, getting directions by
navigation system or map or simply
changing a CD or DVD. Most drivers
reported engaging in four of the ten
distractions asked about in the survey.
The researchers note that multitasking or
distracted driving while children are in the
car is common and not safe, but odds of a
child-related distraction are two and onehalf
times less when children are in
appropriate safety seats.