#DRIVING STUDY BOOK DRIVERS#

Rigorous instrumented vehicle naturalistic studies have confirmed these results ( Klauer et al., 2014, Olson et al., 2009).

#DRIVING STUDY BOOK DRIVERS#

Simulation and instrumented vehicle studies have shown that drivers who are viewing information on or writing with cell phones have significantly increased risk of collision or near-collision events, ( Yannis et al., 2014, Owens et al., 2011, Caird et al., 2014) and the problem is exacerbated in younger drivers ( Caird et al., 2014, Hosking et al., 2009). In 2012, distracted driving was associated with 3300 deaths and 421,000 injuries in collisions in the US there is evidence that smartphone use is increasingly contributing to these numbers ( US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2014). Texting and other cell phone use while driving is a major risk factor for motor vehicle collisions and associated injury and death ( Wilson & Stimpson, 2010). The DDS can be used to evaluate the impact of public health programs aimed at reducing cell-phone related distracted driving.

Distraction is associated with crash rates and occurs across all age groups, but is highest in younger drivers. High rates of cell phone-related distraction are reported here in a national sample. The DDS demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94). DDS scores were inversely correlated to age (p < 0.0001). DDS scores were significantly correlated to crash rate (p < 0.0001), with every one point increase associated with an additional 7% risk of a crash (p < 0.0001). Only 4.9% of respondents had enrolled in a program aimed at reducing cell phone related distracted driving. Nearly 60% of respondents reported a cell phone reading or writing activity within the prior 30 days, with reading texts (48%), writing texts (33%) and viewing maps (43%) most frequently reported. DDS scores were analyzed by demographic data and self-reported crash rate. Higher DDS scores reflect more distraction. A national, representative, anonymous panel of 1211 United States drivers was recruited in 2015 to complete the Distracted Driving Survey (DDS), an 11-item validated questionnaire examining cell phone reading and writing activities and at what speeds they occur. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency of cell-phone related distracted driving behaviors. Texting and other cell-phone related distracted driving is estimated to account for thousands of motor vehicle collisions each year but studies examining the specific cell phone reading and writing activities of drivers are limited.

Driving study book