Motorists spend 10% of their time at the wheel doing other things rather than concentrating on the road, the Dutch road safety research institute SWOV said on Thursday.

SWOV carried out the research over a two-year period as part of a pan-European investigation into driver behaviour, broadcaster NOS reported.

The research showed that car drivers spend 10% of driving time doing other things such as using their mobile phone.  Truckers, by contrast, spend up to 20% of their time behind the wheel on other activities – mainly eating, using their phone or even shaving.

The organisation based its research by tracking 280 road users using cameras both in and outside the vehicle.

It hopes the results of the research – which looked at all aspects of driver behaviour, including signalling and using mirrors – will lead to the development of new policy and safer cars.