THE ROLE OF DRIVER DISTRACTION IN TRAFFIC CRASHES

Distraction is one form of inattention and it is a factor in over half of the crashes that involve some form of driver inattention. (The National Highway Traffic Safety administration estimates that at least 25% of police-reported crashes involve some form of driver inattention). The goal of this research is to identify the major sources of distraction to drivers and the relative importance of the distractions as potential causes of crashes. This report discusses the results of Phase I of the project. For this analyses, two variables were defined -- one identifying the attention status of the driver (attentive, distracted, looked but did not see, sleepy/asleep, or unknown). The second variable identified the specific distracting event for those drivers identified as distracted.

• Record URL:
  http://www.aaafts.org/pdf/distraction.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/17717
• Corporate Authors:

  AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

  607 14th Street, NW, Suite 201
  Washington, DC    20005
• Authors:
  • Stutts, J C
  • Reinfurt, D W
  • Staplin, Loren
  • Rodgman, E A
• Publication Date: 2001-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 70 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attention lapses; Crash causes; Distraction; Drivers; Human factors; Traffic crashes; Traffic safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00815191
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: NTL, TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 28 2001 12:00AM