Educating the Public about Distracted Driving and Evaluating Distraction-Prevention Technologies

Abstract

Distracted driving is one of the main causes of injuries and fatalities in the United States. 3,142 people were killed, and 324,000 were injured because of distracted driving in 2020. According to previous studies, cell phone use is one of the main sources of distraction while driving. The percentage of young drivers who never text and drive under any circumstances is very low. Therefore, the goal of this study is to educate the public about distracted driving and distraction prevention technologies, and to evaluate these technologies using a driving simulator. To reach this goal, a comprehensive study was conducted on all the technologies related to preventing distractions while driving. These technologies are divided into two main categories. The first category includes technologies that are designed to prevent distraction while driving (e.g., Do Not Disturb While Driving, Lifesaver, etc.). The second category consists of technologies that are designed to keep drivers safe when they are distracted while driving (Head-up Display, Lane Departure Warning Systems, etc.). The study also attempted to educate drivers about distracted driving using an online webinar. The online webinar was held on April 15, 2022. In the webinar, the research team discussed these two categories of distracted driving prevention technologies and distracted driving awareness with participants. The informative fact sheet was developed by the research team and distributed manually and online to Maryland drivers. To evaluate the distraction prevention technologies, the research team used a driving simulator that can replicate real-world traffic situations without endangering drivers. In this high-fidelity driving simulator drivers’ behaviors were examined while they used a cell phone blocking app. Some 35 participants drove in a simulated network under four scenarios (no distraction, texting, interacting with a cell phone, and driving with a cell phone blocking app). Participants also completed pre- and post-survey questionnaires. The results of this study support previous investigations regarding interactions with phones while driving. Results showed that drivers deviated from the center of the road, changed lanes significantly more often, and increased their steering velocity while interacting with a cell phone. The impact of cell phone blocking apps while driving was similar to the no distraction scenario while driving. This suggests that using cell phone blocking apps is one of the most effective ways to prevent distracted driving. Survey results indicated that 23% of drivers in the study used cell phone blocking apps before the experiment. However, 88% of the participants had a positive opinion about using cell phone blocking apps and indicated that they would use such apps. These findings support the importance of cell phone blocking apps from a policy perspective and highlight the need to educate drivers about distracted driving prevention technologies.

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Universities Involved

Morgan State University

Principle Investigator(s)

Mansoureh Jeihani 
Ramina Javid
Eazaz Sadeghvaziri

Expected Completion Date

October 25, 2022

Subject Areas

Distracted Driving, Intelligent Vehicles, Transportation Education and Outreach