Children are 12 times more distracting to a driver than talking on a mobile phone, according to new research from Monash University.
In those observed, parents on average took their eyes off the road for three minutes and 22 seconds of a 16 minute trip. The most frequent types of distractions included turning to look at the child in the rear seat or watching the rear-view mirror (76.4%), talking with the child (16%), assisting the child (7%) and playing with the child (1%).
Children were also found to be in the incorrect position more than 70% of the time, leading researchers to suggest that correct child restraints may reduce driving distraction.
Read more at Monash University