Driving with friends is often seen as a rite of passage. The first lift after passing your test. The spontaneous late-night drive. The playlist debates.
But while passengers can make journeys more enjoyable, they can also make them more distracting – sometimes without drivers even realising it.
New research commissioned by Veygo, surveying 2,000 UK adults, found that nearly a third of drivers (32%) admit they feel distracted when driving with friends in the car. Among 18-24-year-olds, that figure rises to almost half (48%).
So what is it about driving with friends that makes it harder to focus?
It’s not just noise – it’s divided attention
When people think about distracted driving, they often picture phones. But passengers introduce something slightly different: social distraction.
According to the Veygo-commissioned research, drivers are most distracted by:
- Friends talking to them (42%)
- Talking too loudly (37%)
- Being told to look at something outside the window (27%)
- Loud music (24%)
- Directions being given too late (24%)
- Someone trying to show them something on their phone (23%)
On their own, these might seem minor. But driving requires constant scanning, hazard perception and split-second decisions. Add in social interaction – answering questions, reacting to jokes, responding to commentary – and your cognitive load increases.
In simple terms: your brain has more to juggle.
The pressure to perform
There’s another factor at play, particularly for younger drivers: social pressure.
When you’re alone in the car, you make decisions based purely on safety and road conditions. When friends are present, there can be subtle pressure – even unintentionally – to:
- Keep up with traffic
- Take a quicker route
- React to something funny or surprising
- Appear calm and confident
For newer drivers, that added layer can reduce the mental space available for safe decision-making. But even experienced motorists aren’t immune.
When distraction turns into risk
Interestingly, 34% of drivers say they actually become more cautious when friends distract them. That suggests many people are aware of the shift in focus and try to compensate.
However:
- 19% report having a near miss
- 12% have had to pull over
- 6% say they’ve been involved in a crash
That’s a reminder that awareness alone isn’t always enough. Once concentration dips, even briefly, the margin for error narrows.
Why younger drivers feel it more
With 48% of 18-24-year-olds reporting distraction, experience likely plays a role.
Newer drivers are still building automatic habits – gear changes, mirror checks and hazard perception require more conscious thought than they do for seasoned motorists. Add conversation and background noise, and that mental workload increases further.
That doesn’t mean driving with friends is unsafe by default. It just means the environment inside the car matters more than many people realise.
How to keep social drives safe
Driving with friends doesn’t have to mean distraction. A few small steps can make a big difference:
1. Set the tone before you move
Let passengers know you’ll need extra focus in busy areas or unfamiliar roads. A quick heads-up can prevent interruptions later.
2. Stay in control of the environment
Music, navigation and in-car settings should stay under the driver’s control. Sudden changes can break concentration at the wrong moment.
3. Keep phones out of sight
Even a quick glance at someone else’s screen can pull your attention from the road. It can wait.
4. Ask for calm, clear directions
Late instructions lead to rushed decisions. Agree in advance how directions will be given.
5. Pull over if needed
If things feel overwhelming or chaotic, stopping safely is always better than continuing distracted.
A car is a social space – but safety comes first.
It’s easy to forget that driving is one of the most complex everyday tasks we do. The moment the engine starts, you’re processing speed, distance, road signs, pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles – all at once.
Friends can make journeys memorable. But staying focused ensures they’re memorable for the right reasons.
Whether you’re newly qualified or have years of experience, being aware of how passengers affect your concentration is a simple step towards safer driving.
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