Department of Civil Engineering, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
PLoS One. 2020 Jul 2;15(7):e0235325. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235325. eCollection 2020.
Distracted driving has been considered one of the main reasons for traffic crashes in recent times, especially among young drivers. The objectives of this study were to identify the distracting activities in which young drivers engage, assess the most distracting ones based on their experiences, and investigate the factors that might increase crash risk. The data were collected through a self-report questionnaire. Most participants reported frequent cell phone use while driving. Other reported activities include adjusting audio devices, chatting with passengers, smoking, eating, and drinking. A structural equation model was constructed to identify the latent variables that have a significant influence on crash risk. The analysis showed that in-vehicle distractions had a high effect on the crash likelihood. The results also indicated that dangerous driving behavior had a direct effect on the crash risk probability, as well as on the rash driving latent variables. The results provide insight into distracted driving behavior among young drivers and can be useful in developing enforcement and educational strategies to reduce this type of behavior.
分心驾驶已被认为是近年来交通事故的主要原因之一，尤其是在年轻驾驶员中。本研究的目的是确定年轻驾驶员参与的分心活动，根据他们的经验评估最分心的活动，并研究可能增加事故风险的因素。数据通过自报告问卷收集。大多数参与者报告说在开车时经常使用手机。其他报告的活动包括调整音频设备、与乘客聊天、吸烟、进食和饮水。构建了一个结构方程模型来识别对碰撞风险有显著影响的潜在变量。分析表明，车内分心对碰撞可能性有很大影响。结果还表明，危险驾驶行为对碰撞风险概率以及鲁莽驾驶潜在变量有直接影响。研究结果深入了解了年轻驾驶员的分心驾驶行为，并可用于制定执法和教育策略，以减少这种行为。
