Distracted Driving and Risk of Road Crashes among Novice and Experienced Drivers

Abstract

BACKGROUND Distracted driving attributable to the performance of secondary tasks is a major cause of motor vehicle crashes both among teenagers who are novice drivers and among adults who are experienced drivers. METHODS We conducted two studies on the relationship between the performance of secondary tasks, including cell-phone use, and the risk of crashes and near-crashes. To facilitate objective assessment, accelerometers, cameras, global positioning systems, and other sensors were installed in the vehicles of 42 newly licensed drivers (16.3 to 17.0 years of age) and 109 adults with more driving experience. RESULTS During the study periods, 167 crashes and near-crashes among novice drivers and 518 crashes and near-crashes among experienced drivers were identified. The risk of a crash or near-crash among novice drivers increased significantly if they were dialing a cell phone (odds ratio, 8.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.83 to 24.42), reaching for a cell phone (odds ratio, 7.05; 95% CI, 2.64 to 18.83), sending or receiving text messages (odds ratio, 3.87; 95% CI, 1.62 to 9.25), reaching for an object other than a cell phone (odds ratio, 8.00; 95% CI, 3.67 to 17.50), looking at a roadside object (odds ratio, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.72 to 8.81), or eating (odds ratio, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.30 to 6.91). Among experienced drivers, dialing a cell phone was associated with a significantly increased risk of a crash or near-crash (odds ratio, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.38 to 4.54); the risk associated with texting or accessing the Internet was not assessed in this population. The prevalence of high-risk attention to secondary tasks increased over time among novice drivers but not among experienced drivers. CONCLUSIONS The risk of a crash or near-crash among novice drivers increased with the performance of many secondary tasks, including texting and dialing cell phones. (Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)

Driver crash risk factors and prevalence evaluation using naturalistic driving data

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“…However, previous NDSs captured a relatively small number of crashes (2,8). To obtain a statistically valid sample of crash factors in earlier NDSs, surrogate measures (e.g., near-crash events) were integrated into analyses.…”

“…During this study, a case-cohort approach was used to evaluate the risk associated with each contributing factor of a crash (8,10). This approach assesses time-variant risk factors for crashes and controls by contrasting exposure information derived from short time windows-typically those that are seconds long-to maintain relative homogeneous exposure within the window.…”

Can User-Paced, Menu-free Spoken Language Interfaces Improve Dual Task Handling While Driving?

“…Given that driving is generally agreed to have a large visual component [10], this concern is especially pronounced for tasks classified as having heavy visual/manual components, that is, where the driver needs to look away from the traffic and manipulate dials or screens. At the same time, contemporary naturalistic studies show that the act of talking on the phone was not associated with an increased crash risk when separated from dialling and reaching for the phone [11,12].…”

Teenage Drivers Portable Electronic Device Use While Driving

“…Relative to experienced adult drivers, young drivers are more willing to engage in cell phone use while driving (Young andLenne 2010, Tison, Chaudhary et al 2011). Secondary tasks that take the driver's eyes off the forward roadway, including phone answering and dialing, texting, and emailing, increase crash risk (Klauer, Guo et al 2014). …”