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Examining the behavior of drivers to encourage safe operation of vehicles is one of the core research areas at the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. This technical report presents research findings on one such driver behavior, distracted driving, because it remains a significant traffic safety concern. Technology-based countermeasures such as smartphone blocking features can effectively […]
The percentage of passenger vehicle drivers talking on handheld phones in 2023 remained unchanged from the previous year’s level of 2.1 percent (Figure 1 and Table 1). The percentage of drivers speaking with visible headsets while driving increased to 0.5 percent from the previous year’s level of 0.4 percent (Figure 1 and Table 2). Drivers’ […]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky driving behavior poses a danger not only to vehicle occupants but pedestrians and pedalcyclists as well. Driver distraction is a specific type of driver inattention that occurs when drivers divert attention from the […]
Distraction from smartphones is an important road safety issue and efforts to identify effective countermeasures remain a priority. Most U.S. consumers use either an Android or iOS smartphone device that come with a feature that can block or limit distractions (referred herein as Do Not Disturb, DND). Unfortunately, only a small percentage of drivers use […]
Globally, motor vehicle crashes result in 1.2 million deaths and as many as 50 million non-fatal injuries each year. Many crashes can be prevented by reducing risky driving behaviors such as speeding, hard braking, rapid acceleration, and handheld phone use. Innovations in smartphone telematics enable these behaviors to be measured, paving the way for scalable […]
Distracted driving is one of the most dangerous – but common – activities on the road. To help change the culture and create a new social norm, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and State Farm® have partnered to develop a new website to help parents and guardians raise a generation of distraction-free, safe road […]
The Alabama “Hands-Free” law goes into effect June 14. This law prohibits using electronic devices, like cell phones, while driving. Last year, Alabama lawmakers passed the measure while much attention was focused on distracted driving. The main goal of the law is to protect everyone on the road. “People should keep in mind that they […]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky driving behavior poses a danger not only to vehicle occupants but pedestrians and pedalcyclists as well. Driver distraction is a specific type of driver inattention that occurs when drivers divert attention from the […]
Previous research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety on the effectiveness of countermeasures for distracted driving (see Related Content below) concluded that results of existing evaluations were mixed, there was questionable generalizability to other populations or regions and, in other cases, insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions. Thus, this research compiled information on distracted […]
Communication campaigns are among the most widely used efforts to promote traffic safety and can be used to promote safe driving practices and knowledge of traffic laws, and otherwise educate the public. One way campaigns could be improved is to use behavior change theory in campaign development. Behavior change theories are developed to explain and […]