Chapter 20 - Driver Distraction: Definition, Mechanisms, Effects, and Mitigation

Abstract

This chapter provides a general overview of the term “driver distraction,” what it means, how it relates to driver inattention, types of driver distraction, sources of driver distraction, factors that moderate the effects of distraction on driving, the interference that can derive from distraction, theories that seek to explain this interference, the impact of distraction on driving performance, and safety, and strategies for mitigating the effects of driver distraction. In addition, the chapter explains the current thinking on driver inattention and how it relates to driver distraction. Whether distraction, when it occurs, impacts driving performance and safety, depends on four main factors: driver characteristics, driving task demand, competing task demand, and the ability of the driver to self-regulate in response to the competing activity. Driver characteristics include age, gender, driving experience, driver state, familiarity with and amount of practice on the competing task, personality, and one's vulnerability to distraction. Factors that influence driving task demand include traffic conditions, weather conditions, road conditions, the number and type of vehicle occupants, the ergonomic quality of cockpit design, and vehicle speed. The demands of the competing task will have a critical bearing on the degree of interference it brings about. Finally, the ability of the driver to self-regulate his or her behavior in the face of a competing activity will have a critical bearing on whether it distracts the driver. Self-regulation at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels of driving control can be exercised by drivers to control exposure to competing activities, to regulate the timing of the engagement, and to control resource investment.