TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - What drives technology-based distractions? A structural equation model on social-psychological factors of technology-based driver distraction engagement
JO  - Accident analysis and prevention
A1  - Chen, Huei-Yen Winnie
A1  - Donmez, Birsen
SP  - 166
EP  - 174
VL  - 91
IS  - 
N2  - BACKGROUND: With the proliferation of new mobile and in-vehicle technologies, understanding the motivations behind a driver's voluntary engagement with such technologies is crucial from a safety perspective, yet is complex. Previous literature either surveyed a large number of distractions that may be diverse, or too focuses on one particular activity, such as cell phone use. Further, earlier studies about social-psychological factors underlying driver distraction tend to focus on one or two factors in-depth, and those that examine a more comprehensive set of factors are often limited in their analyses methods. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: The present work considers a wide array of social-psychological factors within a structural equation model to predict their influence on a focused set of technology-based distractions. A better understanding of these facilitators can enhance the design of distraction mitigation strategies. <br><br>METHOD: We analysed survey responses about three technology-based driver distractions: holding phone conversations, manually interacting with cell phones, and adjusting the settings of in-vehicle technology, as well as responses on five social-psychological factors: attitude, descriptive norm, injunctive norm, technology inclination, and a risk/sensation seeking personality. Using data collected from 525 drivers (ages: 18-80), a structural equation model was built to analyse these social-psychological factors as latent variables influencing self-reported engagement in these three technology-based distractions. <br><br>RESULTS: Self-reported engagement in technology-based distractions was found to be largely influenced by attitudes about the distractions. Personality and social norms also played a significant role, but technology inclination did not. A closer look at two age groups (18-30 and 30+) showed that the effect of social norms, especially of injunctive norm (i.e., perceived approvals), was less prominent in the 30+ age group, while personality remained a significant predictor for the 30+ age group but marginally significant for the younger group. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Findings from this work provide insights into the social-psychological factors behind intentional engagement in technology-based distractions and in particular suggesting that these factors may be sensitive to demographic differences.<br><br>Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.    Keywords: Driver distraction; Mobile telephones<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0001-4575
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2015.08.015
ID  - ref1
ER  -