Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 1005. N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22201, United States.
Preusser Research Group, 7100 Main St., Trumbull, CT 06611, United States.
J Safety Res. 2019 Feb;68:131-138. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2018.12.004. Epub 2018 Dec 19.
An increase in distracted driving has been suggested as a factor contributing to the 15% increase in fatal crashes from 2014 to 2016, but objective information about the prevalence of distracted driving in recent years is incomplete or lacking. The current study replicated a 2014 observation study conducted in Northern Virginia to examine whether the prevalence of distracted driving overall and of individual secondary behaviors has changed.
Drivers of moving or stopped vehicles were observed at 12 locations across 4 Northern Virginia communities during the daytime. The presence of 12 different secondary behaviors was recorded.
In 2018, about 23% of drivers were engaged in at least one secondary behavior, which was not significantly different from 2014. Overall phone use was not significantly different between 2014 and 2018. However, the likelihood of holding a cellphone significantly decreased while the likelihood of manipulating a cellphone significantly increased in 2018 relative to 2014. About 14% of drivers were engaged in noncellphone secondary behaviors in 2014 and 2018, which exceeded the proportion using phones in both years.
There was no evidence that distracted driving has become more common in recent years, but the prevalence of some secondary behaviors has changed. Most concerning was the 57% increase in the likelihood of cellphone manipulation in 2018 relative to 2014, a behavior that has been consistently linked to increased crash risk; however, because the behavior is uncommon overall, the increased prevalence would be expected to only slightly increase crash rates. Practical applications: Although cellphone use was frequently observed in 2014 and 2018, collectively, other noncellphone secondary behaviors were more prevalent. Practitioners and policymakers should continue targeting cellphone use, but also must target other common secondary behaviors to fully address distracted driving.
有研究表明，分心驾驶的增加是导致 2014 年至 2016 年致命撞车事故增加 15%的一个因素，但近年来关于分心驾驶普遍程度的客观信息并不完整或缺乏。本研究复制了 2014 年在弗吉尼亚北部进行的一项观察研究，以检验整体分心驾驶和个别次要行为的发生率是否发生了变化。
在弗吉尼亚北部 4 个社区的 12 个地点，观察行驶或停驶车辆的驾驶员。记录了 12 种不同的次要行为的存在情况。
2018 年，约 23%的驾驶员从事至少一种次要行为，与 2014 年相比没有显著差异。2014 年和 2018 年，整体手机使用情况没有显著差异。然而，与 2014 年相比，2018 年手持手机的可能性显著降低，而操纵手机的可能性显著增加。2014 年和 2018 年，约有 14%的驾驶员从事非手机类的次要行为，这超过了这两年使用手机的比例。
没有证据表明近年来分心驾驶变得更为普遍，但一些次要行为的发生率已经发生了变化。最令人担忧的是，与 2014 年相比，2018 年操纵手机的可能性增加了 57%，这种行为一直与增加撞车风险有关；然而，由于这种行为总体上并不常见，预计增加的发生率只会略微增加撞车率。实际应用：尽管 2014 年和 2018 年经常观察到手机使用，但总体而言，其他非手机类的次要行为更为普遍。从业者和政策制定者应继续针对手机使用，但也必须针对其他常见的次要行为，以全面解决分心驾驶问题。
