Back seat arguments impair your driving as much as alcohol at the legal driving limit, according to a report by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).
The report revealed reaction times of drivers decreased by an average of 13 per cent when distracting children were in the car, exactly the same as when a driver had an 80mg blood alcohol level, the drink-drive limit.
Dr Nick Reed, a researcher for TRL, said: "There was a noticeable impairment to driving caused simply by the noise of arguing children."
The study also showed distracted drivers braked suddenly 40 per cent more often, and their stress levels increased by over 30 per cent.
In real world driving conditions this would this would add car length to the stopping distance from 70mph.
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Re: Alcohol v squabbling children
Would not be seen dead with any sign in my car relating to having kids on board, but with two boisterous boys in the back life can get a little unbearable when driving, however, while the wife is telling me to pull over now I often find myself telling them all to shut up and wait for a suitable parking gap at the side so as not to irritate other drivers by me just pulling over without warning.
I would tend to agree with the findings that Autocar report.
Re: Alcohol v squabbling children
Maybe following a reduction in the alcohol limit for driving, there may be a corressponding reduction in childbirth.
Two birds, one stone.
Re: Alcohol v squabbling children
Isn't this why people with only two kids buy S-Max's? so you can put the kids at least 3 metres away from you.
I don't think the drink limit will have much effect, the way the nations body mass (including mine) is increasing its going to take a rapidly increasingly amount of booze to get the blood concentration up to any limit!