According To A New Study, Driving With Kids In The Car Is 12 Times More Distracting Than Talking On The Phone

The next time someone with kids tells you not to talk on the phone or check Facebook while driving, tell them to leave their kids at home! According to a study by researchers in Australia, that is the biggest distraction to drivers. The study suggests kids are 12 times more distracting than talking on the phone:

Australian researchers found the biggest distraction for a driver is having children in the car. The study revealed that over a 16-minute car ride, drivers with kids in the car looked away from the road for an average of 3 minutes and 22 seconds (or 21% of the time). That means that children are 12 times more distracting than talking on a cell phone. It went on to say babies are 8 times more distracting than an adult passenger.

Things like handing back food, taking wrappers after they eat, adjusting the DVD player or adjusting the mirror to glance at what the kids are doing all take longer to do than checking a text message. See more details about the study here.