Citation

Prat F, Gras ME, Planes M, Font-Mayolas S, Sullman MJM. Transp. Res. F Traffic Psychol. Behav. 2018; 59: 124-134.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.trf.2018.08.008

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The present study investigated self-reported distraction-related collisions and near-misses, both as a driver and a passenger. Data were gathered from 426 semi-structured interviews and the results were weighted according to the distribution of driver licences among city residents, by gender and age group (18-24, 25-44, 45-64, and 65+). Seven percent of drivers reported having had an accident while distracted, with the most commonly reported distraction being the drivers' own thoughts (2.5%), followed by looking at something outside the vehicle (2%) and talking to a passenger (1.1%). Furthermore, 35.7% reported having had a near-miss while distracted, with manipulating the audio entertainment system (8.6%) and talking to passengers (8.2%) being the most common distraction types. The percentage of drivers who reported having had an accident while talking on a hand-held phone, and for reading or sending text messages, were both 0.2%. The proportion of drivers who reported having had a near-miss while talking on a handheld mobile phone, hands-free phone or text messaging (reading or sending), were 2.4%, 0.7% and 4.6%, respectively. However, when drivers were asked whether they knew anybody who had crashed while engaged in each distraction type measured, hand-held phone use was the most commonly identified task. Additionally, we explored potential differences in risk perception, descriptive norms and engagement in distractions between those who experienced an accident or a near-miss and those who did not, for each distraction type. Those who reported engaging in each distraction type were also more likely to report having experienced a crash or near-miss related to that distraction type. Although researchers and public policies place a lot of emphasis on technological distractions, in particular phone-related distractions, these are not the distraction types that are most commonly reported by drivers in relation to accidents, which could suggest that a much broader perspective on driver distraction would be beneficial.

Language: en

Keywords

Accident self-reports; Distracted driving; Distraction-related accidents; Mobile phone; Near-misses