I-Spy, the classic distraction game, which keeps children entertained in the back seat of the family cars on long trips and prevents them from piping ‘are we there yet?’ all along, has been replaced by the iPad for the number one spot.
An AA/ Populus survey revealed that 30% of those surveyed said their parents played I-Spy to keep them happy on long trips, while only 14% of parents said they used the game to keep their own youngsters content.
The poll claimed that nowadays parents either opt for electronic games or let their children play on smartphones while on long road journeys.
More than 23,450 motorists were surveyed during the poll. While Scotland, north-east England and north-west England motorists preferred to give their children a DVD to watch, London and Northern Ireland drivers were the least likely to entertain child passengers with I-Spy and other word games.
Edmund King, AA president said that “Momentary distraction behind the wheel can be the difference between life and death”.
“Many drivers do not consider children in the car as a potential distraction but taking your eyes off the road for just a few seconds to deal with what’s happening on the back seat can have dramatic consequences.”
“Keeping children entertained in the car is one of the best ways to reduce the risk as they are less likely to be a distraction if they are occupied with a game”.
“Traditional in-car entertainment has changed over the generations. ‘I-Spy with my little eye’ is being replaced by the iPad and electronic eyes as a tactic to keep modern children quiet on a long trip”.
Statistics recorded by AA showed that as compared to mobile phones children were 12 times more distracting for drivers.
