RACQ member surveys show:
- 88% believe that driver distraction is more of a problem now than in the past.
- The most common distracting behaviours committed by RACQ members while driving are:
-
- Changing the CD/stereo, MP3 player or GPS system (18% always do this while driving and a further 43% sometimes);
- Eating/drinking (4% always, 39% sometimes);
- Making/receiving calls with a hands-free kit (7% always, 19% sometimes).
- However, more positively:
- 92% never smoke while driving;
- 77% never send or receive text messages while driving;
- 64% never make or receive calls without a hands-free kit;
- 57% never make or receive calls with a hands-free kit;
- 90% believe that text messaging while driving is very distracting;
- 80% believe that making or receiving calls without using hands-free is very distracting; and
- 63% agree that both hand-held and hands-free mobile phone use should be banned for all drivers.
(Market and Communications Research December 2008)
Drivers need to stay alert for the entire time they are behind the wheel. This means scanning the road environment, processing information and making decisions about the primary task of driving. However, keeping drivers’ minds on the job is easier said than done.
All drivers engage in some kind of distracting activity while they are driving. Calming a distressed child in the back seat, putting in a CD or changing stereo settings, eating on the run or calling the boss on the mobile phone are all activities that interfere with safe driving.
Distraction occurs when a driver, either willingly or unwillingly, engages in a secondary activity that interferes with performance of their primary task - driving the vehicle (Regan 2005). Drivers can be distracted in many ways by things inside or outside of the vehicle.
Generally, driver distraction falls into three categories, with some behaviours being a combination of these:
- Visual – taking your eyes off the road (e.g., looking at a mobile phone to read a text message);
- Physical – taking your hands off the steering wheel (e.g., to adjust stereo controls/change CD); and
- Cognitive – taking your mind off (or attention away from) the driving task (e.g., talking to passengers). Cognitive distraction usually accompanies physical and visual distractions.
Every distraction leads to delays in driver reactions, increases the likelihood of missing potential hazards and compromises safety.
Of the 88% of RACQ members who believe distraction is more of a problem than in the past, the following are identified as primary causes:
- Talking/sms on mobile phones (54%);
- In-car entertainment systems, e.g., DVD, CD, radio (23%);
- Too much roadside advertising/signs (22%);
- GPS/navigation devices (12%); and
- Increase in technology/gadgets in vehicles – too many buttons on dash/ steering wheel (11%).
Further RACQ research conducted in 2009 involving more than 10,000 Queensland road users found that drivers talking/sending text messages on hand-held mobile phones was the most concerning road user behaviour, and drivers not paying attention due to other activities was ranked sixth highest (Traffic and Safety Department 2009).
US research estimates that distracted driving accounts for 25-50% of all motor vehicle crashes (American Automobile Association 2003).
In line with this, inattention had, in earlier years this decade, been reported to consistently contribute to approximately one-quarter of fatal crashes and approximately one third of all crashes in Queensland.
During 2007 and 2008, however, there were no fatalities as a result of crashes involving distracted drivers or riders in Queensland (Data Analysis Unit 2009).
In 2008 there were 30 fatalities as a result of crashes involving drivers or riders attributed with undue care and attention only in Queensland, which represented 9.1% of the Queensland road toll (Data Analysis Unit 2009). This was 14 fatalities (or 31.8%) fewer than the previous year and five fatalities (or 13.3%) greater than the previous five-year average (Data Analysis Unit 2009).
There is evidence to suggest that young novice drivers and older drivers (over 55 years old) are more vulnerable to the effects of distraction than other drivers (Regan 2005). These groups should therefore be especially targeted for enforcement and education activities related to driver distraction.
Research also suggests that using a mobile phone (hand-held or hands-free) while driving increases a driver’s crash risk by between four and six times, similar to the risk associated with driving while having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% (Regan 2005). It is believed that the level of impairment caused by hands-free mobile phones is just as significant as that caused by hand-held mobile phones due to the fact that the impairment primarily occurs through the distraction of the conversation (Townsend and Avenoso 2008, p25).
Some researchers argue that, by continuing to allow hands-free mobile phone use while driving, drivers may be given the impression that it is safe behaviour (Townsend and Avenoso 2008, p25). Queensland has already banned all mobile phone use while driving for learner and provisional 1 licence holders and a number of jurisdictions, including some states in the USA (Kirtland 2009, p20), are considering a similar restriction for all drivers.
As more technologically advanced communication and information systems are being introduced to our vehicles and roads, authorities and drivers must be very careful of introducing more sources of distraction either inside or outside the vehicle.
Priorities: Distraction and Inattention
- Educate drivers on the risks of distraction when performing other tasks while driving, as well as how to manage and reduce the occurrence of distractions - physical, visual, cognitive, emotional and technological - while driving.
- Continue to support education campaigns in coordination with appropriate and timely enforcement activities targeting sources of driver distraction.
- Ensure that road signs/markings and roadside advertising are used appropriately so as not to create added confusion or distraction for drivers.
- Ensure that legislation, regulations and standards keep pace with the introduction and use of devices in vehicles which potentially distract drivers while driving.
- Enforce current laws relating to mobile phone use while driving and educate the community on the general distraction resulting from mobile phone use – hands-free or otherwise.
- Encourage employers to adopt safe driving practices in the use of work vehicles, e.g., ban the use of mobile phones and operation of computer equipment while driving.
- Continue to research the types of driver distraction and their impacts on the driving task.
References
American Automobile Association (AAA) 2003, Driver’s License Manuals Lack Crucial Information on Distracted Driving, According to AAA Survey, News Release, August 6 2003, AAA (United States), Accessed from: http://www.ouraaa.com/news/news/2003/030806_license.html
Data Analysis Unit 2009, Personal Correspondence to RACQ, 03/06/09, Queensland Transport, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Kirtland, C. 2009, ‘Driving Distractions’ in AAA Living, Vol 31, No.3, pp. 18-21, The Auto Club Group, Dearborn Michigan, USA.
Market and Communications Research December 2008, RACQ Safety Policy. Survey: Quantitative Research Report, Market and Communications Research, Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia.
Regan, M. 2005, ‘Driver Distraction: Reflections on the Past, Present and Future’ in Australasian College of Road Safety 2005, Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety, Volume 1, No. 2, November 2005, p22-33.
Townsend, E. and Avenoso, A. 2008, "Road Safety as a right and responsibility for all": A Blueprint for the EU’s 4th Road Safety Action Programme 2010 – 2020, European Transport Safety Council, Brussels, Belgium.
Traffic and Safety Department 2009, 2009 Pet Peeves Survey Results Report, RACQ, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Contact
For more information contact RACQ Traffic and Safety on 1300 853 658 or 07 3872 8925, or email traffic@racq.com.au
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