Distracted Driving

1
Distracted Driving

• Review of Current Needs, Efforts and Potential
  Strategies

2
Prepared By

• David Anderson, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor
• Blakely Pomietto, M.P.H.
• Public Health Specialist

• Amr Abdalla, Ph.D.
• Research and Evaluation Director
• Noel Goldberg, M.S.
• Program Manager

Vonnie Clement, Ph.D Research Associate Geor
ge Mason University Center for the Advancement of
Public Health Department of Health, Fitness Re
creation Resources Graduate School of Education
Fairfax, VA 22030
3
Purpose

• Examine the nature and scope of the problem
  associated with distracted driving
  
• To examine current data, practices, standards,
  attitudes, and related issues in Virginia and
  nationwide regarding distracted driving
  
• To identify specific strategies that might be
  helpful for consideration in Virginia

4
Rationale

• Recent years have seen new challenges in the
  driving task roadways are more crowded, time has
  seemingly become more precious, and a host of new
  technologies are now available for use in
  automobiles. One technology particularly
  surrounded by debate is the cell phone.

5
Methodology

• 10 distinct approaches to gather information
• Literature Review
• Curriculum and Product Review
• State Leader Interviews
• Key Informant Interviews
• National Survey

6
Methodology

• Intercept Interviews
• Virginia Data and Approaches
• Self-Assessment and Behavioral Monitoring
• Focus Groups
• Stakeholder Discussion

7
In the Literature

• Rigorous, empirical research into the issue of
  distracted driving is greatly lacking, and
  plagued with limitations.
  
• In research that is available, the language is
  often different and the operational definitions
  of key terms vary from one study to the next.

8
In the Literature

• New technology telematics and In-Vehicle
  Information Systems (IVIS) has begun to
  infiltrate the context of driving.
  
• In order to perceive, assimilate, interpret,
  predict, and respond to the driving environment,
  a driver must have his/her full range of
  attentional resources from which to draw.

9
In the Literature

• Multitasking results in multiple tasks competing
  for a drivers attentional resources.
  
• Multitasking while driving results in less
  efficient visual search,slower reaction times,
  and fewer and shorter eye fixations.

10
In the Literature

• Recarte Nunes, 2000
• When cognitively complex tasks are performed
  while driving, the visual inspection window
  decreases between 25-40 horizontally, and 40-60
  vertically.
• Just, et al., 2001
• Less cortical brain tissue is able to respond
  when 2 cognitively complex tasks are performed
  simultaneously (as compared to a single task)
  
• Suggests a natural/biological limit on attention?

11
In the Literature

• Cell phone research lacks consensus and is
  inconclusive. Research examines different angles
  and pieces of the problem, but no complete
  picture.
• Studies suggest that hands-free and hand-held
  cellular phones are equally as risky, and that
  the magnitude of risk may not be as great as has
  been portrayed.

12
In the Literature
13
Themes

• Findings and Recommendations

14
Theme 1 Research

• Findings
• Terminology is inconsistent
• Research to this point lacks naturalistic
  research, rigorous experimental design and
  implementation
  
• Limited practicality or compilations of best
  practices
  
• The extent of the distracted driving problem is
  not clearly defined, validated, or determined

15
Theme 1 Research

• Findings (contd)
• Increase in attention to data collection
• It is not clear how specific behaviors affect
  driving capacities differently in magnitude or
  effect
  
• Research is inconclusive regarding the role of
  cell phones in automobile crashes, whether
  hand-held or hands-free devices

16
Theme 1 Research

• Recommendations
• Concerted efforts should be undertaken to clearly
  define distracted driving
  
• Clearly defined research studies are needed to
  define, validate and determine the extent of
  distracted driving
  
• Research and evaluation studies to be performed
  regarding the role of information technology
  devices with distracted driving should be
  conducted in real-life conditions

17
Theme 1 Research

• Recommendations (contd)
• Research and evaluation efforts should
  incorporate existing sources of information
  
• A range of personnel who have regular access to
  the target audiences should be utilized to
  collect data
  
• Research and evaluation documentation should
  attend to the range of individual variabilities
  regarding multitasking and its impact on
  distracted driving

18
Theme 2 Education/ Awareness/Training

• Findings
• Driver education efforts are not attending well
  to distracted driving issues
  
• The general public is not aware of the magnitude
  of the impact of distractions with their driving,
  including actions and consequences, as well as
  proactive and reactive considerations
• Relatively little skills training exists
  regarding safe multitasking

19
Theme 2 Education/ Awareness/Training

• Findings (contd)
• Current education and awareness efforts lack
  substance and direction
  
• Few resources (i.e. products and curricula) exist
  to assist with addressing distracted driving
  
• The role that cell phones play with distracted
  driving is the primary focus of media and other
  coverage of distracted driving

20
Theme 2 Education/ Awareness/Training

• Recommendations
• The general public should be educated about
  distracted driving issues through public
  awareness campaigns and similarly appropriate
  strategies
• With any awareness or training efforts, attention
  should be paid to factors such as perceived
  severity and perceived susceptibility

21
Theme 2 Education/ Awareness/Training

• Recommendations (contd)
• Educational approaches should include skills
  training about appropriate and safe multitasking
  
• Driver education programs, both for novice
  drivers and with driver improvement programs,
  should incorporate significant attention to
  distracted driving issues

22
Theme 2 Education/ Awareness/Training

• Recommendations (contd)
• Driver improvement programs should be encouraged
  for the general driving public, with attention to
  possible incentives for involvement
  
• More employers should identify ways in which they
  can be involved in addressing distracted driving
  
• The media should be better engaged to help
  deliver a comprehensive message on distracted
  driving

23
Theme 2 Education/ Awareness/Training

• Recommendations (contd)
• Young children should be educated on distracted
  driving issues so that they can serve as a
  resource for their parents
  
• Specific groups, such as police, judges, young
  drivers and older drivers, should be educated and
  trained about ways they can help address
  distracted driving

24
Theme 3 Legislation and Policy

• Findings
• There appears to be a tendency to seek
  legislative approaches to address distracted
  driving
  
• Research does not support current specific
  legislative initiatives
  
• Most proposed bills focus on cell phones and fail
  to pass

25
Theme 3 Legislation and Policy

• Recommendations
• Any legislation to be introduced should be
  supported by current research and evaluation
  findings
  
• Better data needs to be collected regarding the
  specific role played by the use of cellular
  phones prior to introducing legislation
  
• Legislative and policy approaches are appropriate
  to encourage education and data collection
  initiatives

26
Theme 3 Legislation and Policy

• Recommendations (contd)
• Individual worksites should review ways in which
  they can promote greater attention to issues
  surrounding distracted driving
  
• Prior to introducing new legislation, attempts
  should be made to determine whether current
  legislation is already sufficient
  
• Multiple aspects of the driver licensing process
  should incorporate increased attention to
  distracted driving issues

27
Theme 4 Enforcement

• Findings
• Standards, reporting mechanisms, and training
  regarding crash investigation and reporting
  distracted driving (on summons and crash forms)
  do not meet emerging needs
• Law enforcement personnel and highway safety
  personnel are not sure about how to document the
  issue of distracted driving

28
Theme 4 Enforcement

• Findings (contd)
• The fact that distracted driving is not an
  offense restricts the ability to cite
  
• The fact that drivers are unwilling to admit
  their use of cell phones in crashes, and driving,
  impairs data collection and enforcement efforts
  
• Current laws that encompass distracted driving
  need to be enforced
  
• The role of judges can have a great influence on
  distracted driving issues

29
Theme 4 Enforcement

• Recommendations
• Crash reporting and citation forms should be
  changed to include attention to distracted
  driving behaviors
  
• Enforcement efforts in other states should be
  reviewed

30
Theme 4 Enforcement

• Recommendations (contd)
• Laws that currently exist which encompass
  distracted driving behaviors should be enforced
  
• Law enforcement personnel should look for
  opportunities for teachable moments regarding
  distracted driving

31
Theme 5 Confounding and Social Factors

• Findings
• Driving conditions have changed significantly in
  recent years, including greater traffic density
  and more time spent driving
  
• Conditions surrounding drivers have changed,
  including greater time constraints (busier
  schedules) and unclear lines between work and
  non-work time

32
Theme 5 Confounding and Social Factors

• Findings (contd)
• Significantly more technology is available for
  drivers, both inherent in the automobile and
  available for use in the automobile
  
• Tension exists between issues of individual
  liberty and safety issues
  
• Drivers do not want to acknowledge cell phone use
  and its role in automobile crashes, due to what
  they believe to be the politically correct and
  economically viable reasons

33
Theme 5 Confounding and Social Factors

• Recommendations
• Advocacy should be undertaken with the original
  automobile manufacturers and designers, and
  manufacturers of after-market in-vehicle
  technologies, to continue to identify ways of
  making their products safer

34
Theme 5 Confounding and Social Factors

• Recommendations (contd)
• All technology made available, whether installed
  in vehicles or potentially used in vehicles,
  should include information about how to use it
  safely
• Public discussions and forums should be held to
  discuss distracted driving issues

35
Theme 6 Culture Lag

• Findings
• Technology, innovation and availability are
  moving much faster than cultural and social
  readiness (with resulting limited etiquette and
  standards for making safe use of the equipment)

36
Theme 6 Culture Lag

• Findings (contd)
• The discussions and dialog have not yet been
  framed appropriately
  
• Current efforts are primarily reactive, rather
  than proactive, in nature

37
Theme 6 Culture Lag

• Recommendations
• Norms and acceptable etiquette for safe driving
  practices with regard to distractions should be
  developed based on what is learned through
  ongoing public discussions
• Emerging technology should be anticipated as
  strategies identified for implementation
  regarding distracted driving are discussed and
  implemented

38
Theme 6 Culture Lag

• Recommendations (contd)
• Safety principles should be developed for
  in-vehicle information and communication systems
  to encompass current and potential future
  devices
• A range of groups should be engaged at the local
  and state levels to discuss ways of assisting the
  various approaches to be consistent and
  synergistic

39
Theme 7 Lack of Clarity

• Findings
• There is ambiguity about the nature and extent of
  distracted driving among a range of groups and
  audiences (including traffic safety personnel,
  law enforcement personnel, the public, the media,
  legislative personnel, judges, the industry)

40
Theme 7 Lack of Clarity

• Findings (contd)
• Police and judges have different views about the
  need for more specific legislation
  
• Different constituency groups have different
  perspectives regarding proactive and reactive
  approaches

41
Theme 7 Lack of Clarity

• Findings (contd)
• There appears to be a lack of appropriate and
  inclusive dialogue among key constituency groups
  regarding distracted driving
  
• When the issue of distracted driving is brought
  up, there appears to be a focus on cell phones

42
Theme 7 Lack of Clarity

• Recommendations
• Efforts that are both research-based and
  realistic should be encouraged to help reduce the
  ambiguity surrounding distracted driving
  
• Ongoing communication should be maintained with a
  range of key constituencies about new research
  and new findings regarding distracted driving

43
Theme 7 Lack of Clarity

• Recommendations (contd)
• Media vehicles should be encouraged to further
  develop messages about the breadth of distracted
  driving issues
  
• A range of groups should be convened to discuss
  their varying perspectives about distracted
  driving

44
Theme 8 Leadership

• Findings
• Leadership at the national and state levels
  appears to be lacking
  
• A widespread call for leadership at national and
  state levels exists
  
• Nationally, traffic safety leaders state that
  distracted driving is not a priority,
  particularly when compared with other driving
  issues (such as DUI or aggressive driving)

45
Theme 8 Leadership

• Findings (contd)
• Leadership should include a multi-pronged
  solution, acknowledging that no one single
  approach is sufficient to address the problem

46
Theme 8 Leadership

• Recommendations
• Approaches attempting to address distracted
  driving should be shared among state and local
  leadership personnel
  
• The definition of distracted driving, and of safe
  driving practices, should be made as clear as
  possible
  
• Oversight and benchmarking should be maintained
  at the state level regarding distracted driving

47
Theme 8 Leadership

• Recommendations (contd)
• Leadership personnel should acknowledge the need
  for a multi-pronged, consistent approach to
  address distracted driving
  
• Leadership should be as informed and vocal as
  possible at the state and national levels
  
• The media has an important leadership role in
  helping address distracted driving

48
Theme 9 Human Factors Behaviors

• Findings
• An upper limit on an individuals cognitive
  ability to multitask appears to exist, and seems
  to be related to the cognitive complexity of the
  task
• The relative relationship between primary and
  secondary tasks associated with driving is unclear

49
Theme 9 Human Factors Behaviors

• Findings (contd)
• Many drivers do not see driving as a complex
  activity
  
• Many drivers do not see the need to improve or
  update their driving skills

50
Theme 9 Human Factors Behaviors

• Recommendations
• Drivers should be reached through the vehicles
  and mechanisms appropriate to their setting and
  role
  
• Individuals should be aided in understanding
  their own individual variability, within the
  context of safety considerations

51
Theme 9 Human Factors Behaviors

• Recommendations (contd)
• Those who implement information and awareness
  strategies should understand the range of needs
  of various audiences
  
• A repertoire of packaged media will be helpful in
  presenting clear, consistent messages
  
• Realistic and workable approaches should be
  promoted

52
Distracted Driving

• This report was distributed as Senate Document
  No. 14, Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond,
  2002.
  
• The complete report can be found on-line at the
  CAPH web-site
  
• www.caph.gmu.edu