John Williamson: AA Insurance finds most Kiwis guilty of back seat driving distractions

A study has revealed 82% of people admitted to being a back seat driver. Photo / 123rf

The holidays are almost over. We’re back from various road trips, preparing for what the year brings, reflecting, planning and hoping for better times.

Coincidentally, AA Insurance has just published its latest motoring survey. This found that 82% of us admit to being a back seat driver, with almost half saying they do it regularly. A third of motorists feel that having an over-zealous back seat driver negatively affected their driving.

So, how’s it been for you this summer and what’s the big deal anyway?

The term ‘back seat driver’ is a disparaging name meaning, ‘a passenger who continually gives unwanted and/or unneeded advice to the driver’ or, in a more general sense, ‘someone who gives unwanted advice or tries to control something that is supposed to be controlled by another person’.

In a driving sense there is some psychology behind the phenomenon with various professionals commenting that: ‘it’s saying, I don’t trust you to handle this on your own’ or, ‘it’s combating their own feeling of powerlessness in the realisation they cannot fix the situation if the driver makes a mistake’ or, ‘the back seat driver is an individual who has a strong need to feel influence and they are always looking for ways to express that need’.

According to a United Kingdom-based Accident Advice Helpline survey, back seat driver behaviour manifests itself in a number of ways such as:

• Criticising the driver’s decisions behind the wheel;
• Complaining about the driver going too fast;
• Gasping loudly at any slight braking movement;
• Flinching when they feel the driver is too close to another vehicle;
• Complaining about the driver going too slow;
• Pressing an imaginary brake pedal;
• Pointing to where the driver should have gone;
• Advising on which lane the driver should be in;
• Telling the driver when the traffic lights have turned green;
• Exaggerated and sudden body movements.

All of these create a distraction for the driver and may precipitate an extreme reaction.

“There is a higher risk of an accident or near miss, if the driver is having to fend off unhelpful feedback while trying to concentrate on the road,” the Helpline survey concluded.

I guess though, when you point the finger at someone else’s back seat driving, remember that there are three fingers pointing back at you.

But it’s not all bad. An AA Research Foundation study done four years ago found mixed views about passenger-driver interactions.

Passengers can help by giving directions, unwrapping food, pointing out parking spots before arriving there, warning of on-road hazards such as cyclists, police cars, animals, or other obstacles as you approach them, and keeping other passengers occupied so the driver can concentrate.

The idea of being a pre-negotiated co-driver rather than a back seat driver gives a positive spin on in-car conversations and interactions.

The passenger becomes an active participant rather than a driving-style critic.

Passengers need to recognise that the driving task needs concentration without distraction. Toning down the conversation and keeping passengers off their mobile phone when driving becomes more challenging, gives a sense of a team rather than a contest.

Let’s talk co-driving rather than back seat driving as contributing to, rather than detracting from, safer driver behaviour.