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…?

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Distracted Driving

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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?