Which emotion raises the risk of a car crash by nearly 10 times?
Getting behind the wheel when feeling glum raises the risk of an accident by nearly 10 times, Virginia Tech has found
  
 
Driving while anxious or sad raises the risk of crash by nearly 10 times 
 
 Driving while sad is far more likely or result in a crash than being tired or using a mobile phone a new study has shown.
Many motorways now display signs which warn motorists to pull over if they are feeling tired, but new research suggests that a healthy emotional state is far more important for safe driving.
Feeling sad, angry or agitated behind the wheel raises the risk of an accident by nearly ten times. In contrast, fatigue makes a crash three times more likely while talking on a mobile only doubles the risk.
"This is the first time we have been able to definitively determine the extent to which such factors do contribute to crashes"
Dr Tom Dingus, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
In fact talking on a mobile phone was found to be no more distracting for motorists than fiddling with the radio or air conditioning, American researchers from Virginia Tech found.
And although parents may feel that having a child in the back seat is distracting, interacting with a youngster while driving actually lowers the chance of a smash. Likewise applying make-up or eating food was found not to cause significant problems.

"We have known for years that driver-related factors exist in a high percentage of crashes, but this is the first time we have been able to definitively determine the extent to which such factors do contribute to crashes," said Dr Tom Dingus, lead author of the study and director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

“Driving while observably angry, sad, crying or emotionally agitated increases the risk of a crash by 9.8 times compared with model driving