{"id":875,"date":"2014-03-03T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2014-03-03T07:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mocktheorytest.com\/resources\/?p=875"},"modified":"2019-02-05T11:20:55","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T11:20:55","slug":"iam-embarrasses-itself-again-with-shonky-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mocktheorytest.com\/resources\/iam-embarrasses-itself-again-with-shonky-research\/","title":{"rendered":"IAM embarrasses itself again with shonky research"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Institute of Advanced Motorists should stick to doing what it does most excellently: teaching people how to drive awesomely. It should stop doing poorly conducted and contradictory research.<\/p>\n

The latest embarrassment for the IAM is new research outlining what most takes our eyes off the road.<\/a> We know (and it’s obvious) that if something takes our eyes off the road, then it distracts us – it means we are not paying attention while driving. However, a couple of weeks ago, the IAM released some research that said that only 40% of drivers drive distracted<\/a>. We contested this because it was blatantly untrue<\/a> (the research methods were flawed from the start by just ‘asking’ people if they drove distracted, so this is more a survey about honesty than driving habits).<\/p>\n

Again, IAM’s statistical analysis is left wanting. While 1447 respondents were polled throughout the UK (which would give a margin of error rate of around 3%), there were 10 separate regions which gives less than 150 people per region. Therefore the regional stats quoted could be out by as much as 8-9%.<\/p>\n

Indeed, these most recent figures seem to indicate that of the 1447 drivers that were surveyed, all of them (100%) admitted to one or more of the distractions. And if they didn’t, then the survey size is even smaller. If it really was 4 in 10 people that drive distracted, Vision Critical, who helped conduct the survey would have only found 40% of the 1447 people could answer, meaning around 580 people would have been distracted and everyone else would have poked them and said, “Oi. I don’t drive distracted.”<\/p>\n

What should you take from this survey<\/h2>\n
\"Changing

Changing the radio distracted up to 34% of respondents in the 18-24 age group<\/p><\/div>\n

If you want to drive safely, get a vasectomy in your teens, don’t smoke, don’t listen to music in the car, eschew a cellphone, never carry passengers, navigate using the magnetic lines of the earth, and make sure that you find no one else attractive however buff from the gym\/voluptuously buxom and scantily clad they are when walking down the road. Or you could ride a motorbike with the kind of blinkers the Amish make their horses wear.<\/p>\n

The basic message is that, as the Doors said in Roadhouse Blues<\/a>, you should keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.<\/p>\n

Please, IAM, either start doing meaningful research, or stick to what you are excellent at.<\/p>\n

Here are the results of the survey:<\/p>\n

Age and gender breakdown<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n18-24<\/td>\n25-34<\/td>\n35-44<\/td>\n45-54<\/td>\n55-64<\/td>\n65+<\/td>\nMale<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Looking at the view<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Children in the car<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n41<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Changing the radio channel<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Backseat drivers<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mobile phone calls<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sat Nav<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Attractive pedestrians, drivers or passengers<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Adverts and shop fronts<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Texts and social media updates<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lighting up a cigarette<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Digital dashboard<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cuddling or kissing by a passenger<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Institute of Advanced Motorists should stick to doing what it does most excellently: teaching people how to drive awesomely. It should stop doing poorly conducted and contradictory research. The latest embarrassment for the IAM is new research outlining what…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more ›<\/a><\/div>\n

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