The driver was seen practising his trumpet while stuck in a Brisbane peak-hour jam. RACQ spokesman Mike Sopinski says it is the most bizarre traffic jam sighting their members have witnessed and according to one road safety expert it may not be as dangerous as it appears.
"Among the more common complaints we have heard are drivers seen doing their hair, make-up, shaving/grooming, opening and reading mail, leafing through the newspaper and even eating breakfast," Sopinski says.
"One motorist reported to have been observed eating cereal from a bowl with a spoon while stopped at lights.
"However, the most bizarre report we have heard about is the one concerning the motorist actually seen practising the trumpet while behind the wheel in a traffic jam."
Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) Professor Simon Washington says distracted driving is more common among commuters.
"Commuting is a routine thing and people get familiar and comfortable with the route so they become complacent," he says.
"They tend to disengage a little more in the commute to the point where they are too disengaged and not aware of the real risks."
However, Prof Washington says the risks of distracted driving are less severe in commuting traffic.
"The good side is that in heavy congestion the risk of severe injury is less because it's slower traffic," he said.
"But the big down side is if you have a crash in a commute there is an enormous economic cost of delaying hundreds of other commuters because of your distraction."
Prof Washington, who has been researching distracted driving behaviour with the use of the CARRS-Q driving simulator, says the worst distractions are those that are not self-imposed such as receiving a mobile phone call.
"That's because the person on the other end is not aware of your context," he says.
"Your risk of a fatal accident in that situation is about four times that of normal driving.While no one has studied blowing a trumpet while you are driving, we believe self-imposed distractions are less risky."
The average commute in Australia's major cities is only 20-30 minutes each way; hardly long enough for drivers to get bored enough to practise the trumpet.
