The DGT indicates which couple at the wheel is safer and which is more distracting
Going by car with friends, partner or family makes the trip more enjoyable, although this small space can be the trigger for many discussions. The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) indicates that the co-driver and the rest of the occupants can reduce or increase the risk of an accident with their behavior. Just as looking at your phone while driving is dangerous, passenger behavior can also be distracting.
In fact, the agents can give you a ticket when you argue or maintain an affectionate attitude with your seatmate if they consider that this situation could have led to dangerous driving. “Any activity added to the task of driving, such as taking into account what the co-driver does or says, will reduce the driver’s attentional capacity,” argues Fermina Sánchez, a DGT technical advisor psychologist in the magazine Traffic and Road Safety. Although his presence does not always have to be a distraction, since his indications can help and provide useful information for the trip. Being accompanied can also be beneficial when driving if the person next to you warns of possible dangers. In addition, going with more people in the vehicle will avoid the temptation to take the mobile phone behind the wheel.
The worst co-pilot
Several studies carried out in the United States and Italy have indicated that the worst traveling companions in the car are the young male co-drivers, since they are attributed the most distracting behaviors, especially if they share the same age. A conclusion also reached by the Línea Directa investigation into the worst combination of driver and co-driver. In addition, the study carried out by Monash University determines that young drivers are more easily distracted and negatively influenced “by their lack of experience.”
the safest couple
The DGT indicates that the safest couple behind the wheel is the one made up of a female driver and a male co-driver. The risk of accident is 0.014. It is followed by the combination of two women, with a 0.03% risk. Even so, the experts affirm that despite the results of these studies there is no “categorical answer as to whether it is better to travel alone or accompanied, even less limited to a gender or age”. It is a “question of learning good behaviors and reading the needs of the driver.”
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