Distracted driving is the act of driving while engaging in other activities which distract the driver's attention away from the road. Distractions are shown to compromise the safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehicles.
Cellular device use while behind the wheel is one of the most common forms of distracted driving. According to the United States Department of Transportation, "texting while driving creates a crash risk 23 times higher than driving while not distracted." Studies and polls regularly find that over 30% of United States drivers had recently texted and driven. Distracted driving is particularly common among, but not exclusive to, younger drivers.
Types of distractions
Distractions while driving can be separated into three distinct groups: visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distractions involve taking one's eyes off the road, such as looking at a GPS screen as part of a route plan, looking at roadside billboards, or checking a child's seat belt in the rear view mirror. Manual distractions involve taking one's hands off the wheel, such as searching for something in a bag, eating or drinking, grooming, or changing radio stations. Cognitive distractions occur when an individual is not mentally focused on the act of driving. Some distractions can combine some or all of these groups, such as texting and calling on one's cell phone.
Driving distractions can greatly vary in form and severity. They range from the use of cell phones and other electronics to rubbernecking, carrying passengers including children and pets"Driving with your dog can be dangerous: here's why." Dog Watch 14.10 (2010): 2. General OneFile. Web. 27 Sept. 2013."Driver Distractions – Don't Be a Statistic." Web. in the vehicle, eating while driving,Huntington, Lucia. "Eating Behind the Wheel Is a Distraction." Distracted Driving. Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "The Real Distraction at the Wheel." Boston Globe 14 Oct. 2009. "Opposing Viewpoints In Context". Web. 27 Sept. 2013. sexual activity while driving and searching for misplaced items.
Distractions within the vehicle itself can be problematic. New adaptations to technology in vehicles create a higher chance of looking at a screen and taking attention off the road. The extended use of the new automation systems may cause the driver to over-rely on and trust the system, up to the point that they become disengaged completely from the wheel as well as from the road ahead. An experienced driver that is used to the automation systems will be actively engaged in distracted driving.
Driver distraction in fatal crashes An analysis of United States Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data for 2010–2013 examined the role of specific distraction types among drivers involved in fatal crashes, excluding drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs. The study identified 13,707 distraction-related drivers out of 178,677 drivers involved in fatal crashes (about 7.7%).
Nineteen distraction codes in FARS were grouped into six categories: in‑vehicle technology‑related distractions (such as mobile phones and other electronic devices), in‑vehicle non‑technology‑related distractions (such as other occupants or loose objects), on‑road distractions (such as people, objects or events outside the vehicle), automatic behavioural distractions (for example, eating, drinking or smoking), inner cognitive distractions (including inattention, daydreaming and “looked but did not see”), and distractions not clearly specified.
Across the four-year period, inner cognitive distractions accounted for the largest share of distraction‑coded fatal crashes, exceeding both external distractions (originating inside or outside the vehicle) and automatic behavioural distractions. The most frequently coded specific factors within distraction‑related fatal crashes were “inattention”, “looked but did not see” and “lost in thought/daydreaming”. In‑vehicle technology‑related distractions formed the largest subgroup among external distractions and were more common than non‑technology‑related in‑vehicle distractions or on‑road distractions.
Over the 2010–2013 period, the proportion of distraction‑related fatal crashes attributed to inner cognitive distractions increased, while the share attributed to unspecified or “unknown” distractions decreased. The share associated with in‑vehicle technology‑related distractions remained smaller in absolute terms but showed a modest increase over time.
Distraction rates A 2016 U.S. study, published in Preventive Medicine Reports, found that nearly 50 percent of drivers admitted to, while driving, reading a text message, sending a text message, checking their phone for directions, or using social media. Overall, nearly 60 percent of respondents admitted to using their cell phone at least once while driving. Older age was strongly correlated with decreased cell phone distraction scores.
A 2018 survey of more than 3,300 drivers by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety illustrates a disconnect in driver behavior. While a large percentage of drivers (95.6%) said texting or emailing while driving is unacceptable, nearly half (49%) report talking on a hand-held device and nearly 35% have sent a text or an email while driving.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered that 35 to 50 percent of drivers admit to using a smartphone while driving and 90 percent of drivers fear those who do.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2011 study found that 69% of respondent drivers between the ages of 18 and 64 admitted to calling on the phone while driving in the month before the survey and that 31% sent or read an email or text message."Distracted Driving." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 07 Mar. 2016. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
A Harris Poll survey in February 2015 showed differences in distracted driving by United States region with 24 percent frequency in the Northeast, 28 percent in the Midwest, 30 percent in the West, and 35 percent in the South. 4% more males texted and drove than females. 51 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds texted and drove, 39 percent of 35- to 44-year-olds texted and drove, 33 percent of 45- to 54-year-olds texted and drove, 14 percent of 55- to 64-year-olds texted and drove, and 7 percent of people 65 years old or older texted and drove.
According to a HealthDay poll from November 2011, most adults who drive confess to engaging in distracted driving behaviors. In addition to use of electronic devices, behaviors admitted include eating or drinking, to which 86% of drivers admitted; combing or styling hair, to which at least 20 percent admitted; and applying makeup, to which 14 percent admitted. The poll also reported that younger drivers and males had higher rates of distraction. A study from the president of Hagerty Insurance Agency found that coffee, hot soup, tacos, chili, hamburgers, and barbecued foods were the most dangerous to try and eat while driving.Kiesbye, Stefan. Distracted Driving. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2012. Print.
According to a study by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 15 percent of reported crashes were due to a teenage driver distracted by talking with a passenger. Another 12 percent of crashes occurred because a teenager was either talking, texting or searching for information on a cellphone while driving. The NHTSA determined that distracted driving accounts for 25 percent of all crashes involving teenage drivers.
In the US, over 50% of teenagers talk on the phone while driving, and over 30% text while driving.
Hazard assessment A 2013 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine estimated the following multiples of crash or near-crash risks among novice drivers:
Activity Odds ratio Calling on a phone 8.3 Reaching for a phone 7.1 Sending or receiving text messages 3.9 Reaching for an object other than a phone 8.0 Looking at a roadside object (rubbernecking) 3.9 Eating 3.0 Interaction with radio (or head unit) 1.0 + Cell phone crash events according to Dingus et al. (2016) Activity Odds ratio Prevalence Total cell (handheld) 3.6 6.4% Cell dial (handheld) 12.2 0.1% Cell text (handheld) 6.1 1.9% Cell reach 4.8 0.6% Cell browse 2.7 0.7% Cell talk 2.2 3.2%
A 2003 study of U.S. crash data estimates that distracted driving contributed to 8-13 percent of police-reported crashes, with phone use sourcing 1.5 to 5 percent of these. Driver inattention contributed to an estimated 20–50 percent of crashes. The most-reported cause of distraction-related accidents was "outside person, object, or event" (commonly known as rubbernecking), followed by "adjusting radio/cassette player/CD". "Using a phone" was the eighth most reported cause. In 2011, according to the NHTSA, one-third of accidents were caused by distracted driving.Albright, Brian. "NHTSA distracted driving guidelines." Motor Age Aug. 2013: 12. General OneFile. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.
The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that 1.6 million (25%) of crashes annually are due to calling on a smartphone, and another 1 million (18%) are caused by texting while driving. These numbers equate to one accident caused every 24 seconds by driving distracted from phone use. It also reported that speaking in a call while driving reduces focus on the road and the act of driving by 37 percent, irrespective of hands-free calling operation. Calling on a phone is estimated to increase the risk of experienced drivers crashing or nearly crashing by a factor of 2.5. The US Department of Transportation estimates that reaching for a phone distracts a driver for 4.6 seconds; at 55 miles per hour, this could equal a football field of distance.
A study by the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that talking to a passenger was as distracting as talking in a call on a hands-free smartphone, and a study by Monash University found that having one or more children in the car was 12 times more distracting than calling while driving. Devid Petrie of the Huffington Post deemed backseat children passengers the worst distraction for drivers, and recommended pulling over in case of crying children. According to an AAA study, 80 percent of respondents with dogs drove with them, but 31 percent of these admitted to being distracted by them, and only 17 percent used any form of pet restraints.
Boston Globe correspondent Lucia Huntington stated that "eating while operating a vehicle has become the norm, but...proves costly for many drivers. Soups, unwieldy burgers, and hot drinks can make steering a car impossible. Although the dangers... are apparent and well known, drivers ignore them repeatedly, accounting for many crashes and near-misses."
Risk characterization The rising annual rate of fatalities from distracted driving corresponds to both the number of cell phone subscriptions per capita, as well as the average number of text messages sent per month. From 2009 to 2011, the number of text messages sent increased by nearly 50 percent.
Distracted driving offenders are more likely to report driving while drowsy, going 20 miles per hour over the speed limit, driving aggressively, not stopping at a red light or stop sign, and driving while under the influence of alcohol.Beck KH, Yan F, Wang MQ. Cell phone users, reported crash risk, unsafe driving behaviors and dispositions: a survey of motorists in Maryland. J Safety Res. 2007;38:683-8