Overall performance impairment and crash risk due to distracted driving: A comprehensive analysis using structural equation modelling

Distracted driving leads to performance changes in both longitudinal and lateral control. However, driving performance, being a multidimensional phenomenon, is very difficult to be interpreted from individual performance measures. The present study aimed to exhibit the distraction impacts on overall driving performance estimated by a single measure rather than assessing distraction effects on individual performance metrics such as speed, acceleration, lateral variation, etc. The study also focused on modelling and quantifying the impacts of overall deteriorated driving performance on crash risk. To achieve the objectives, a comparative analysis of investigating phone and music player usage was conducted using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). In total, 90 drivers’ demographic details and driving performance data in distracted and non-distracted driving environments were collected. Firstly, the latent variable “performance degradation” was derived from longitudinal and lateral performance measures. Then the structural model revealed a positive relationship between the distractions and the overall performance degradation. Finally, the crash risk was modelled against the presence of distraction and performance degradation. With a factor loading of 0.29, the impact of deteriorated driving performance (i.e., indirect impact) was found to be the highest among all the contributory factors of the crash risk. Further, the results showed that among the distractions (i.e., direct impact), texting had the highest impact (factor loading = 0.28) on crash risk followed by visual-manual tasks related to music player (factor loading = 0.21). Thus, the present study quantified the effects of deteriorated driving performance caused by distracted driving on the crash risk. Further, the study also presented quantified effects of each distracting activity on the crash risk which accounted for the factors that could not be considered through the performance degradation measure. The approach used in the present study can be adopted in designing the countermeasures using advanced driver warning systems.     

Socio-economic and driving experience factors affecting drivers’ perceptions of traffic crash risk

Drivers are estimated to contribute an overwhelming proportion to the burden of traffic crashes, as factors that increase crash risk are frequently due to unsafe driving behaviours. The relationship between risk perceptions and people’s risky driving behaviours is still not well understood. This paper aims to further analyse the potential effect of risky driving behaviours on drivers’ perceptions of crash risk and differences in perceptions among drivers.Crash risk perceptions in an inter-city, two-way road context of 492 drivers were measured by using a Stated Preference (SP) ranking survey. Rank-ordered logit models were used to evaluate the impact on risk perception of five unsafe driving behaviours and to identify differences in drivers’ risk perceptions. The five unsafe driving behaviours considered in the analysis were respectively related to whether or not the driver follows the speed limits, the rules of passing another car and the safe distance, whether or not the driver is distracted, and whether or not she/he is driving under optimal personal conditions.All risky driving behaviours showed a significant potential effect (p < 0.001) on crash risk perceptions, and model’s results allowed to differentiate more important from less important unsafe driving behaviours based on their weight on perceived crash risk. Additionally, this paper further analyses the potential differences in risk perception of these traffic violations between drivers of different characteristics, such as driving experience, household size, income and gender.The SP technique could be applied to further analyse differences in perceptions of risky driving behaviours among drivers. Future research should consider the potential effect of driving skill on perceptions of risky driving behaviours.     

The influence of road familiarity on distracted driving activities and driving operation using naturalistic driving study data

This paper analyzed the influence of familiarity on the involvement of secondary tasks and driving operation using naturalistic driving study (NDS) data. Distracted driving activities were extracted from face videos captured in 557 trips, including 501 trips on familiar roads and 56 trips on unfamiliar roads. These trips were completed by 155 drivers using their own vehicles during daytime hours under good weather conditions. The data showed the frequency of distracted driving activities and duration time were higher on familiar roads compared to unfamiliar roads. More types of secondary tasks were found on familiar roads. Focusing on objects was the most common distracted driving activity on familiar roads. The average time drivers used to eat or drink was highest (8.67 s) on familiar roads. The time drivers spent checking their cell phone was high on both familiar roads and unfamiliar roads. Since driving operation is directly related to crash risk, this paper also analyzed the difference of driving operation on familiar roads and unfamiliar roads. The speed profiles were generated on well-known versus unfamiliar roads. It was shown that drivers were more likely to be speeding and select a short distance to deceleration near the intersections. The findings indicated that distracted driving phenomenon was more serious on familiar roads.     

Analysis of vehicle-based lateral performance measures during distracted driving due to phone use

Distracted driving due to mobile phone use has been identified as a major contributor to accidents; therefore, it is required to develop ways for detecting driver distraction due to phone use. Though prior literature has documented various visual behavioural and physiological techniques to identify driver distraction, comparatively little is known about vehicle based performance features which can identify driver’s distracted state during phone conversation and texting while driving. Therefore, this study examined the effects of simple conversation, complex conversation, simple texting and complex texting tasks on vehicle based performance parameters such as standard deviation of lane positioning, number of lane excursions, mean and standard deviation of lateral acceleration, mean and standard deviation of steering wheel angle and steering reversal rates (for 1°, 5° and 10° angle differences). All these performance measures were collected for 100 licensed drivers, belonging to three age groups (young, mid-age and old age), with the help of a driving simulator. Effects of all the phone use conditions and driver demographics (age, gender and phone use habits) on the measures were analysed by repeated measures ANOVA tests. Results showed that 1°, 5° SRRs are able to identify all the distracted conditions except for simple conversation; while, 10° SSR can detect all the distracted conditions (including simple conversation). The results suggest that 10° SRR can be included in intelligent in-vehicle devices in order to detect distraction and alert drivers of their distracted state. This can prevent mobile phone use during driving and therefore can help in reducing the road accidents due to mobile phone distractions.     

Sexual activity while driving: A content analysis of media reports

Sexual activity while driving fits the definition of distracted driving because it involves the diversion of attention away from the driving task. However, this risky driving behaviour has received little attention compared to other distracted driving activities. To address the lack of research on sexual activity while driving, the internet was searched from April to June 2020 for media reports in which sexual activities occurred within the cabin of a moving vehicle, taking specific note of: gender, the presence of others, time of day, use of substances, the nature of the circumstances surrounding the incident, and whether crashes had occurred. A total of 106 unique and verified cases were identified from 2004 to 2020. The reports involved 76 male (71.7%) and 30 female drivers (28.3%), and there were 43 (40.5%) serious incidents that involved a crash and 23 fatalities (21.7%). In 17 (16.0%) incidents their vehicle hit another car, and a pedestrian or cyclist was hit in 3 (2.8%) incidents. The risk of a serious incident was higher during oral sex or intercourse than solitary activities (i.e. masturbation). A total of 63 (59.5%) mild incidents (without crashes or fatalities) were identified, in which reports included accounts by witnesses or police regarding sexual activity while driving. Given the potential seriousness of incidents, this topic deserves further research to better understand the prevalence and safety implications of sexual activity while driving.     

“They would call me,and I would need to know because it is like life and death”: A qualitative examination of the acceptability of smartphone applications designed to reduce mobile phone use while driving

Distracted driving is one of the most prevalent risky behaviours worldwide. Research has highlighted that current approaches to distracted driving based on education and police enforcement have shown low effectiveness. Smartphone applications to reduce distracted driving are an emerging technology with the potential to prevent road crashes. However, recent evidence has shown that the adoption of these applications has been limited. A qualitative study was carried out to investigate the acceptability of smartphone applications that are designed to prevent distracted driving. A total of 35 drivers (57% females) aged 19–44 years (Mean = 28.43) participated in interviews which explored acceptability constructs for in-vehicle intelligent technology as defined by Regan et al. (2012): usefulness, usability, effectiveness, social acceptability, affordability, and willingness to use the application functions. Generally, drivers perceived that these applications have the potential to increase safety and reduce voluntary and involuntary mobile phone interactions while driving. Nonetheless, it was also found that drivers want to retain some of the functionalities of their mobile phone, such as music playing applications, accessing GPS/maps and being able to interact with certain groups of people through their phones while driving. Finally, barriers to the uptake of the applications among drivers who use their mobile phone while driving are discussed. A frequent barrier that needs to be overcome is the perceived need and pressure to respond to their phone while driving to communicate for work purposes or with people with strong social ties to the driver, for example, a parent or spouse.     

Contextual Design for driving: Developing a trip-planning tool for older adults

Independent living depends on mobility, and mobility depends on driving, particularly for people 65 years and older. The longer older adults can safely drive, the longer they can independently run errands, shop, exercise, and maintain social networks. Age-related decline of perceptual, motor, and cognitive abilities can undermine the mobility and driving safety of older drivers. Data from driving simulators, on-road tests, surveys, and crash reports describe the driving safety and mobility challenges of older adults, but these methods offer a limited view of these challenges and fail to indicate design solutions. Contextual Design—a combination of Contextual Inquiry interviews, model building, and affinity diagrams—offers a complementary approach to uncover challenges that older adult drivers’ experience. For two weeks, 39 drivers age 65 and above, had their vehicles instrumented to collect driving and video data. Applying Contextual Design to these data showed that older drivers in urban and rural settings faced different mobility challenges and adopted various strategies to mitigate risk: older drivers often involved their spouse or passenger in the driving task, avoided certain driving maneuvers such as left turns, avoided unfamiliar or poorly lit roads at night, and planned trips to avoid risky driving situations. Ridesharing and trip planning emerged as important strategies to improve the safety and mobility of older drivers. Ridesharing could serve as a potential solution to prolong mobility; however, factors such as wait time, scheduling conflicts, costs, and trust were concerns for older drivers. A paper prototype was developed to validate the driving challenges faced by older drivers, and guide the development of a customized web-based trip-planning tool. The trip-planning tool could help older drivers make safer route choices by offering routes with fewer driving challenges, thereby enhancing their driving safety, mobility, and independence.     

The role of executive function,personality and attitudes to risks in explaining self-reported driving behaviour in adolescent and adult male drivers

Young drivers show high levels of risky driving and are over-represented in motor vehicle crash statistics world-wide. As well as personality and attitudinal factors, high rates of risk taking during adolescence may be due to poorly developed executive functions, a result of the slow maturation of the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. This study was undertaken to investigate the roles of executive function, personality, attitudes to risk in relation to self-reported driving behaviour. Adolescent (n = 46, age 16–18 years) and adult (n = 32, 25 years and over) male drivers completed a battery of neuropsychological tests to assess general cognitive ability and executive function, and questionnaires to assess driving history, personality, attitudes to physical and psychological risk as well as questionnaires of self-reported driving behaviour (Driver risk taking and Driver Attitude Questionnaire, DAQ). The adolescent drivers showed poorer executive function, higher levels of impulsivity and risk-taking, lower levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness compared to adult drivers. Regression analyses revealed that attitudes to risk, agreeableness and working memory made unique significant contributions in explaining self-reported driving behaviour. Interestingly though, better working memory was associated with higher levels of self-reported risky driving and more accepting attitudes to risky driving. Together the findings suggest that some aspects of executive function, personality, and attitudes to risk may help to explain self-reported driving behaviour. Whether these findings are relevant to female drivers and apply to on-road driving behaviour should be the focus of future studies.     

The psychosocial purpose of driving and its relationship with the risky driving behaviour of young novice drivers

BackgroundThe overrepresentation of young drivers in road crashes, injuries and fatalities around the world has resulted in a breadth of injury prevention efforts including education, enforcement, engineering, and exposure control. Despite multifaceted intervention, the young driver problem remains a challenge for injury prevention researchers, practitioners and policy-makers. The intractable nature of young driver crash risks suggests that a deeper understanding of their car use – that is, the purpose of their driving – is required to inform the design of more effective young driver countermeasures.AimsThis research examined the driving purpose reported by young drivers, including the relationship with self-reported risky driving behaviours including offences.MethodsYoung drivers with a Learner or Provisional licence participated in three online surveys (N1 = 656, 17–20 years; N2 = 1051, 17–20 years; N3 = 351, 17–21 years) as part of a larger state-wide project in Queensland, Australia.ResultsA driving purpose scale was developed (the PsychoSocial Purpose Driving Scale, PSPDS), revealing that young drivers drove for psychosocial reasons such as for a sense of freedom and to feel independent. Drivers who reported the greatest psychosocial purpose for driving were more likely to be male and to report more risky driving behaviours such as speeding. Drivers who deliberately avoided on-road police presence and reported a prior driving-related offence had significantly greater PSPDS scores, and higher reporting of psychosocial driving purposes was found over time as drivers transitioned from the supervised Learner licence phase to the independent Provisional (intermediate) licence phase.Discussion and conclusionsThe psychosocial needs met by driving suggest that effective intervention to prevent young driver injury requires further consideration of their driving purpose. Enforcement, education, and engineering efforts which consider the psychosocial purpose of the driving are likely to be more efficacious than those which presently do not. Road safety countermeasures could reduce the young driver’s exposure to risk through such mechanisms as encouraging the use of public transport.     

The differences in hazard response time and driving styles of violation-involved and violation-free taxi drivers

The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between taxi drivers’ traffic violations in past driving and two domains: driving skill (hazard perception skill) and driving style. Five hundred and fifty taxi drivers aged 25 – 59 were recruited to finish a video-based hazard perception test and the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI). The relationships between hazard response time, driving style and traffic violations were examined, and the differences in hazard response times and driving styles of violation-involved drivers (n = 220) and violation-free drivers (n = 330) were compared. The results showed that taxi drivers’ traffic violations are closely related to their driving styles and hazard response time. Violation-involved drivers scored significantly higher in hazard response time and maladaptive driving styles (i.e., anxious, risky and angry styles) and lower in careful driving style than violation-free drivers. More importantly, drivers’ hazard response time and driving styles can effectively predict their violation involvement in the last 12 months with an overall classification accuracy of 66.4%. The findings provide evidence for the usefulness of video-based hazard perception tests and the MDSI in taxi driver testing and training.     

Perception of unsafe driving behaviour and reported driving behaviour among commercial motorcyclists in Dar es Salaam,Tanzania

Commercial motorcycle drivers are recognised to take high risks while driving, but little is known about their perception of these risks. This paper presents the results of a survey of 400 commercial motorcyclists' perception of unsafe driving behaviours and then determine the association between the perception of unsafe driving behaviour and reported driving behaviour. The study was carried out in Dar es Salaam between December 8th 2018 and March 24th 2019. Drivers aged 18 years and above were selected from 90 parking stages within the city and completed a structured interview. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate the prevalence ratios (PRs). We found that close to 60% of drivers considered unsafe driving to be unsafe. However, reported unsafe driving behaviour was moderately common. Our results showed that reported unsafe driving behaviour (adjusted PR = 1.7; 95% CI 1.3–2.2) was associated with a low perception of the dangers of unsafe driving among motorcyclists. The higher the earnings a driver had (adjusted PR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.0), the higher the likelihood of having a low perceived risk of unsafe behaviour. These findings suggest that commercial motorcyclists' unsafe behaviour are, for the most part, not the result of a poor perception of the involved risks.     

Investigating the influence of time pressure on overtaking maneuvers and crash risk

The research conducted on overtaking maneuver for evaluating drivers’ safety showed adverse effects of urgency on driving performance and decision making. Therefore, a driving simulator study was designed to examine driving performance of the drivers and its implication on overtaking and crash probabilities under increasing time pressure conditions. Eighty-eight participants data were analyzed in the current study. Three different time pressure conditions: No Time Pressure (NTP), Low Time Pressure (LTP), and High Time Pressure (HTP) were considered for analyzing driving performance of the drivers while executing overtaking maneuvers. The driving performance was assessed using minimum time-to-line crossing and coefficient of variation in speed to dissect the safety margin adopted by the drivers while overtaking the lead vehicle. Further, minimum time-to-line crossing and coefficient of variation in speed were considered as explanatory variables to investigate their influence on overtaking and crash probabilities. Parametric survival analysis and Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) were used to assess the driving performance, overtaking and crash probabilities. The parametric survival analysis showed that minimum time-to-line crossing reduced by 36.7% and 63.8% in LTP and HTP driving conditions, respectively. The GLMM results revealed that coefficient of variation in speed increased by 3.437% in HTP (no significant effect in LTP) as compared to NTP driving conditions. Further, the GLMM results showed that overtaking and crash probabilities decreased with increment in minimum time-to-line crossing and coefficient of variation in speed values. Additionally, it was observed that male drivers took risky decisions than female drivers. Nevertheless, the comparative analysis revealed that male drivers were less prone to crashes than female drivers. Overall, it can be inferred that the drivers take risky decisions with increment in time pressure to complete the driving task, even at the expense of their own safety which exposed them to high likelihood of crashes.     

Anticipatory and control processes in the interaction with secondary tasks while driving

The paper describes an experiment where anticipatory processes in the interaction with secondary tasks while driving could be explicitly identified and contrasted to control processes during the engagement in the secondary task. A special experimental set-up in a driving simulator environment was created that allows drivers to deliberately decide whether they want to be distracted or not depending on the driving situation and the expected development of that situation. As indicators for a situation-adaptive interaction with secondary tasks parameters from driving behaviour, secondary task performance and visual behaviour were analyzed. A study with 24 test drivers revealed that drivers are, in general, able to interact with a secondary task in a situation-aware manner. For example, drivers rejected more secondary tasks in already highly demanding situations or tried to delay the beginning of the task. During secondary task performance drivers observed the situational development with short control glances back to the road and adapted their speed. The analysis of driving errors revealed that rejecting a task in an already highly demanding driving situation is an effective strategy to maintain an adequate level of driving safety. However, some critical factors were identified that might hinder the driver from executing such strategies. Several recommendations for supporting the driver on this issue are given.     

Effects of distraction and experience on situation awareness and simulated driving

This study examined the impact of cell phone conversation on situation awareness and performance of novice and experienced drivers. Driving performance and situation awareness among novice drivers ages 14–16 (n = 25) and experienced drivers ages 21–52 (n = 26) were assessed using a driving simulator. Performance was measured by the number of driving infractions committed: speeding, collisions, pedestrians struck, stop signs missed, and centerline and road edge crossings. Situation awareness was assessed through a query method and through participants’ performance on a direction-following task. Cognitive distractions were induced through simulated hands-free cell phone conversations. The results indicated that novice drivers committed more driving infractions and were less situationally aware than their experienced counterparts. However, the two groups suffered similar decrements in performance during the cell phone condition. This study provides evidence of the detrimental effects of cell phone use for both novice and experienced drivers. These findings have implications for supporting driving legislation that limits the use of cell phones (including hands-free) in motor vehicles, regardless of the driver’s experience level.     

Psychological predictors of texting while driving among university students

Although text messaging while driving is illegal in Spain previous research has shown that a substantial proportion of drivers, particularly young drivers, engage in this risky behaviour. The present study set out to investigate the psychological predictors of this behaviour using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). This study also measured the drivers’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness of the ban on mobile phone use while driving, their perceived crash risk, the risk of being fined and the drivers perceived ability to compensate for the distraction caused by reading or writing text messages while driving. Data were collected using an online questionnaire from 1082 university students who were drivers and owned a mobile phone. Attitude and perceived behavioural control significantly predicted the intention to send and read text messages while driving, even after controlling for exposure and demographic variables. Furthermore, intention was found to be a significant predictor of retrospective measures of both sending and reading text messages while driving, as was perceived behavioural control for several of the outcome measures. The present findings provide support for the TPB and also demonstrate the additional contributions that the mobile phone ban and perceived ability to compensate for the distraction had in predicting intentions. In addition, perceived crash risk was positively related to the prediction of intentions to send text messages and the number of messages read in the last week. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Modeling social rejection,physiological arousal,and peer influence on risky driving among adolescents and young adults

Peer passengers are a significant risk factor for young drivers to experience adverse driving outcomes. However, few studies have manipulated social evaluation contexts and individual susceptibilities to peer influence, such as physiological arousal, to measure effects on driving. The current study explored whether social evaluation affects driving outcomes and if the type of evaluation affects perception of peer norms. Young drivers (N = 75) were randomized to control, social acceptance, or social rejection conditions and observed risky or risk-averse driving norms. Results indicated that peer passengers and peer driving norms, regardless of the social-evaluative context, affected variability in driving outcomes, particularly in intersections. Physiological arousal and perceptions of social acceptance also predicted more variability in driving outcomes. These findings suggest that passengers increase irregular driving patterns, perhaps due to passengers distracting young drivers from road conditions. Further, social acceptance increases the strength of the relationship between the presence of peer passengers and inconsistent driving patterns, indicating that social rewards may precede risky behavior more often than social threats do.     

Reward versus punishment: Reinforcement sensitivity theory,young novice drivers’ perceived risk,and risky driving

One reason that young novice drivers remain statistically over-represented in road deaths is their rate of engagement in risky driving. Prominent contributing factors include driver’s age, sex, personality, risk perception, and their driving experience. This study applied reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST, specifically reward sensitivity and punishment sensitivity) to predict young novice drivers’ perceived risk and self-reported risky driving engagement, while accounting for potential influences of age, sex, and driving experience. Drivers (N = 643, 490 females, 17–25 years, M = 20.02, SD = 2.32) who held an Australian driver’s license (P1, P2, or Open) anonymously completed an online survey containing the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale, the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire, and a measure of perceived risk of driving-related behaviours. A path analytic model derived from RST showed that perceived risk had the strongest negative association with reported risky driving engagement, followed by reward sensitivity (positive association). Respondent’s age and reward sensitivity were associated with perceived risk. Age, reward sensitivity, and perceived risk were associated with reported engagement in risky driving behaviours. Driver sex only had direct paths with RST variables, and through reward sensitivity, indirect paths to perceived risk, and reported risky driving. Neither punishment sensitivity nor driving experience contributed significantly to the model. Implications and applications of the model, and the unique set of variables examined, are discussed in relation to road safety interventions and driver training.     

Young male drivers’ risky driving 15 months after licensure – The role of intervention,attitudes towards accompanied driving,and parents’ risk

An indispensable issue in contemporary research on risk-taking by young drivers is parents’ influence on their offspring’s driving behavior. The current study measures this influence by using a risk index of parents’ driving behavior measured via in-vehicle data recorders together with young drivers’ self-reported answers to a set of questionnaires. Both parents and young drivers participated in one of three intervention program groups to enhance safe driving within a longitudinal study, and the outcome of this intervention was measured 15 months following licensure. The aim of the current study was thus to assess the contribution of parents’ actual driving behavior, participation in the intervention, and teen drivers’ attitudes towards accompanied driving (measured six months after licensure), to the reported risky driving of the young drivers fifteen months after receiving their driving license. The data consist of a sample of 78 parent-young driver dyads who were originally randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups (receiving different forms of feedback) or a control group (with no feedback). Findings indicate that the feedback and training to parents intervention group, as well as parents’ risky driving events rate, were positively associated with the reported proneness to reckless driving and the reckless driving habits of the young drivers. In addition, lower perception of accompanied driving as enabling a sense of relatedness with parents, and higher negative perceptions of this period, were related to higher reported risky driving among young drivers fifteen months after licensure. The results highlight the importance of parents’ behavior and relationships with their offspring as key concepts in moderating risky driving among young drivers. Practical implications for road safety are discussed.     

Risky behaviours associated with traffic crashes among app-based motorcycle taxi drivers in Vietnam

Motorcycle taxi services provide an important mobility option for people in developing countries. With the emergence of new transport technologies, app-based motorcycle taxi services have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, little is known about risky driving behaviours and their association with traffic crashes among app-based motorcycle taxi drivers. Through a survey of 602 app-based motorcycle taxi drivers from three cities in Vietnam, this research aimed to investigate the incidence of risky driving behaviours and their association with driver characteristics and traffic crashes. Using a mobile phone while driving was found to be the most common risky driving behaviour (52%) among app-based motorcycle taxi drivers, followed by neglecting to use turn signals (31%), encroaching car lanes (25%), exceeding the speed limit (21%), running red lights (19%) and carrying more than one passenger (17%). In addition, drivers who were students, or those who worked more than 50 h per week, were found to be more likely to engage in risky driving behaviours. Binary logistic regression modelling showed that neglecting to use turn signals, carrying more than one passenger and smoking while driving was significantly associated with self-reported active crash/fall involvement. Turn signal neglect was also associated with active injury crash/fall involvement. The incidence of risky driving behaviours and associated crash involvement was found to be lower among app-based motorcycle taxi drivers compared with regular motorcyclists, yet the findings still highlight the need for ride-hailing firms to deliver improved education and road safety training for their drivers.