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There is a commonly held idea that girls are able to multitask, while boys are not. Whether this is true or not, it looks like girls are more likely to try doing several things at once, even when they are not supposed to.
According to insurance company AAMI, 56 per cent of young female drivers it surveyed recently said that they had read text messages on their phones while driving, and 43 per cent said that they spoke on the phone without a hands-free device. This compared with young men, of who only 43 per cent said that they sent SMS and 38 per cent made or received calls.
These statistics come from AAMI’s 2012 Young Driver Index, in which the company spoke with 3700 drivers aged 18 to 24 years old. While the results of the survey point to high illegal use of technology by young drivers, it also points to a possible decrease in drink driving amongst this group. The 2012 survey revealed that 15 per cent of respondents admitted to driving “while probably over the drink-drive limit”, down from 21 per cent in 2002.
This is probably a good time to remind our readers of the changes to the rules around phones and driving a car. As of 1 November, it is illegal to use a phone (or similar device) while driving unless it is securely mounted. The penalty for a cheeky text message on the motorway is AU$298 and three demerit-points.
