01659000

Component

In spite of research and awareness of the hazards associated with handheld mobile device use while driving, many motorists continue to engage in this risky behavior. In this study, the attitudes and self-reported behaviors of motorists are examined based on a nationwide survey (337 respondents) on handheld device use while driving. Nearly 59% of respondents report using a handheld phone while driving, approximately 4% use some other handheld device (e.g., GPS, gaming console, tablet, etc.), while 28% use a speaker or hands-free device while driving. Only 9.3% report not using any handheld nor other device while driving. Of those who use handheld devices while driving, 176 (85%) use them to receive phone calls, 155 (75%) make phone calls, 155 (75%) use devices for navigation, and 113 (55%) text while driving. These are surprising results given the nearly universal state bans on texting and handheld mobile phone use while driving. Handheld device use while driving contributes significantly to distraction which is a leading cause of accidents. The characteristics of handheld device users, how handheld devices are used, and the differences in self-reported behaviors across states with and without device use restrictions are compared. The perceptions and experiences of device users are also examined. Based on the backgrounds of device users and their attitudes, multivariate logistic regression is used to identify the characteristics of those who drive while using handheld devices. Older drivers are least likely to engage in these behaviors, compared to younger drivers (OR=6.4) and adult drivers (OR=3.9). Drivers in states with strong bans on handheld device use are least likely to engage in these behaviors (OR=0.51), while those who believe that driving abilities are not affected by cell phone use (OR=14.6) or that police should not enforce handheld device laws (OR=2.0) are most likely to use devices while driving. The self-reported handheld use rate was used in conjunction with the annual VMT, average trip distance from the recent household travel survey and the observed cell phone use rate to impute number of distracted driving trip for Hawaii from 2003 to 2015. Based on these findings, targeted educational and enforcement campaigns to reduce device use during driving are suggested. Additional promising areas for further inquiry and research are also proposed.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AND10 Standing Committee on Vehicle User Characteristics.

18-03043

English

8p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Maps; References (20) ; Tables

Age groups; Attitudes; Behavior; Distraction; Drivers; High risk drivers; Mobile telephones; Text messaging

Hawaii

Highways; Safety and Human Factors

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-03043

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 10:44AM