Distracted drivers causing chaos on Melbourne’s toll-roads

According to recent research from Finder, three in five drivers admitted to acting unsafely behind the wheel.

The research revealed food is the biggest distraction, with almost half of Australian drivers having eaten behind the wheel.

Transurban’s Head of Road Safety Liz Waller said the increasingly common behaviour was concerning.

“We found that about 50 per cent of crashes on our network are rear end crashes or side swipe crashes,” she said.

Waller said in June drivers on average spent about four extra hours in traffic when an incident occurred.

Common distractions include drivers using their phone, eating and doing their make-up and hair.

“They range right down to texting, sending emails, some people even having a shave,” Finder’s Taylor Blackburn said.

Transurban is tackling distracted driving with new signage and extended line markings on Citylink’s Punt Road/Batman Avenue exit.

Drivers are urged to merge into the left lane sooner.

The authority says the introduction of those simple measures has slashed rear end crashes by 75 per cent and side swipe accidents by 66 per cent.

“Put the phones down please, and do your grooming at home and eat breakfast at home too,” Waller said.