Author: Robin Roberts

Singing, praying, day-dreaming or even learning a foreign language are all things we do behind the wheel, according to the latest survey for the AA.

It found a third of drivers sing in the car, while 23 per cent just get lost in their thoughts, and it seems your age makes you do different things.

Singing in the car seems to be a trend amongst the young which declines with age as 60 per cent of 18-to-24-year-olds sing in the car compared to just 13 per cent of over 65s.

One third of drivers (31%) succumb to road rage after getting annoyed at the traffic or other drivers. This rage affects just one fifth of older drivers but almost half (47%) of young drivers.

Younger drivers (18-24), although most at risk from being killed or seriously injured, are least likely to pray behind the wheel. Amongst all drivers 5 per cent confess to praying on the move, whilst divine inspiration is sought by 14 per cent in Northern Ireland.

Two per cent make use of their journeys by learning a foreign language while another 2 per cent meditate. The over 65s are the most likely to meditate (4%), or that might be an excuse for a quick nap.

More dangerously 6 per cent are addicted to their phones on the move. The phone addicts are more likely to be male (7%) than female (5%) and most likely to be in the 25-44 age bracket (10%).

Apart from listening to the radio or CDs, the most popular in-car activity was “making plans” or “having ideas”.

Commenting, Edmund King, AA president, said, “Bearing in mind the time we spend in our cars and in congestion, it is no surprise that drivers get up to other things behind the wheel. It can be a positive thing to be engaged as long as our extra curricular activities, such as learning a language, singing or praying, don’t interfere with driving.”

Next week the AA launches a new campaign called Think and Drive to celebrate World Creativity Day on 15 April. To help drivers make the most of the creative opportunity while driving, the AA has teamed up with leading creativity expert Andy Green of the Flexible Thinking Forum to offer a free guide, The AA’s seven point ‘Think and Drive’ plan to transform Britain’s drivers’ creative thinking’ which will be launched next week.

Those who drive as part of their jobs in a business car  are most likely to get bored behind the wheel and switch off from the task of driving, which raises health and safety issues for the  company car manager to address in driving advice and policies which must include adequate rest breaks.