What do motorists get up to in the car when alone behind the wheel? One third of drivers sing in the car, while 23 per cent just get lost in their thoughts, according to an AA/Populus poll of 21,408 drivers.
 

Singing in the car seems to be a trend among 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. Among all drivers five per cent confess to praying on the move, while 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 two per cent meditate. The over 65s are the most likely to meditate (4%).
 
More dangerously six 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”.
 
Question: Which of the following do you do when driving alone?
 
Listen to radio/CDs                                         89%
Make plans or have ideas                               39%                                                     
Get annoyed with traffic/other drivers             31%
Sing                                                                 29%
Get lost in thoughts                                         23%
Talk on phone                                                  6%
Pray                                                                 5%
Learn a foreign language                                2%
Meditate                                                           2%
 
Regionally the survey found:
 
- More car singers in Scotland and East Midlands
- Road ragers more prominent in London and Northern Ireland
- More Welsh people learn a foreign language
- Scots more likely to make plans or have 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 (15). 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.

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