New Research on Teens and Distracted Driving...Distracted Driving 3 Visual Cognitive Adjusting CD Grooming Physical Eating/drinking Glancing at a billboard Texting Handheld phone Hands

New Research on Teens

and Distracted Driving

CFTF Unintentional Death Committee November 18, 2013

Arthur Goodwin

UNC Highway Safety Research Center

Distracted Driving

What is it…?

2

Distracted Driving

3

Visual Cognitive

Adjusting CD

Grooming

Physical

Eating/drinking

Glancing at a

billboard

Texting

Handheld

phone

Hands free

phone

Staring at a

crash

Distractions and Crashes

Hard to establish

• Drivers reluctant to admit (or may not know)

• No objective test for distractions

NHTSA estimates:

• 10% of fatal crashes are related to distraction

• 3,331 people killed in 2011

• 387,000 injured in 2011

• Rate highest among drivers 15-19 years old

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Teens and Distracted Driving

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Distracted Behaviors

% of clips

Adjusting controls 6.2%

Grooming 3.8%

Eating or drinking 2.8%

Reaching for object in vehicle 2.5%

Communicates with someone outside vehicle 1.5%

Driver turns around 0.9%

Reading 0.1%

Any distracted behavior 15.1%

N = 7,858 driving clips

Foss, R.D. & Goodwin, A.H. Distracted Driver Behaviors and Distracting Conditions Among

Adolescent Drivers: Findings from a Naturalistic Driving Study. Journal of Adolescent Health,

in press.

Electronic Device Use

% of clips

Holding cell phone to ear 2.3%

Talking on hands-free phone 0.1%

Operating an electronic device (e.g., texting) 1.2%

Suspected of operating an electronic device 3.1%

Any electronic device use* 6.7%

N = 7,858 driving clips

*Significantly differed for males (4.0%) and females (7.9%)

Foss, R.D. & Goodwin, A.H. Distracted Driver Behaviors and Distracting Conditions Among

Adolescent Drivers: Findings from a Naturalistic Driving Study. Journal of Adolescent Health,

in press.

Passengers

% of clips

Loud conversation* 12.6%

Horseplay* 6.3%

Passenger dancing 1.5%

Driver communicates with someone outside vehicle 1.1%

Physical contact with driver – affectionate 0.6%

Physical contact with driver – non-affectionate 0.2%

N = 2,716 driving clips

*Loud conversation and horseplay were observed in 27% and 16% of clips, respectively, with 2 or more teen passengers

Foss, R.D. & Goodwin, A.H. Distracted Driver Behaviors and Distracting Conditions Among

Adolescent Drivers: Findings from a Naturalistic Driving Study. Journal of Adolescent Health,

in press.

Distracted Driving

How do we address the problem?

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Teen Passenger Restrictions

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Cell Phone Restrictions

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0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

2006 2007 2008

Observed phone use

South Carolina

North Carolina

Goodwin, A.H., O’Brien, N.P., & Foss, R.D., Effect of North Carolina's restriction on

teenage driver cell phone use two years after implementation. Accident Analysis and

Prevention, 48, 363-367.

Enforcement

• NHTSA: HVE demonstration program

• Mississippi: Pay Attention or Pay a Fine

• Connecticut: Points and fines

• Minnesota: Officers on school buses,

trucks and SUVs

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Education

• Fear-based strategies

• Stories from victims

• Peer-to-peer programs (e.g., Teens in

the Driver Seat)

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Public Awareness Campaigns

• AT&T “It Can Wait” ad campaign

• NCDOT “Don’t Be a Zombie”

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New Technologies

• Disabling the phone

– Smartphone apps

– ORIGOSafe

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Thank you!

Questions?