Driving contradictions: behaviors and attitudes regarding handheld and hands-free cellphone use while driving among young drivers

Injury Epidemiology

Songzhu Zhao¹  Dylan Galos²  Lucas M. Neuroth³  Li Li⁴  Motao Zhu⁵ 

[1] Department of Biomedical Informatics, Center for Biostatistics, The Ohio State University, 320 Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Drive, 43210, Columbus, OH, USA;Office of Statewide Health Improvement Initiatives, Community Health Division, Minnesota Department of Health, PO Box 64882, 85 East 7th Place, Suite 220, 55164, Saint Paul, MN, USA;The Center for Injury Research and Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 575 Children’s Crossroad, 43215, Columbus, OH, USA;The Center for Injury Research and Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 575 Children’s Crossroad, 43215, Columbus, OH, USA;Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Cunz Hall 1841 Neil Avenue, 43210, Columbus, OH, USA;The Center for Injury Research and Policy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 575 Children’s Crossroad, 43215, Columbus, OH, USA;Division of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Cunz Hall 1841 Neil Avenue, 43210, Columbus, OH, USA;Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 370 W. 9th Avenue, 43210, Columbus, OH, USA;

关键词: Distracted driving;    Crashes;    Traffic;    Text messaging;    Adolescent;    Young adult;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40621-021-00312-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCellphone use while driving (CUWD) is a frequent source of distraction for young drivers. These distractions commonly lead to motor vehicle crashes and, in some cases, death. Crash risk differs depending on if the driver is engaging in handheld or hands-free CUWD. This pilot study sought to investigate the differences between handheld versus hands-free CUWD behaviors in younger drivers and the attitudes and social norms that inform them.MethodsYoung drivers (mean age: 19.6 years, standard deviation: 0.8 years) were recruited from a large Midwestern city in the United States as part of a pilot study. The 62 enrolled drivers (51 females, 43 non-Hispanic white) completed an online survey measuring behavioral frequencies, attitudes, and social norms regarding talking on the phone, sending messages, and reading messages. These cross-sectional data were then categorized and used for a descriptive analysis.ResultsThe majority of young drivers reported participating in some form of handheld CUWD, with reading messages being the most popular (95%). Only 43% of participants used hands-free technology for sending messages and 30% for reading messages, while half reported not using the technology at all. Whereas handheld messaging behaviors were viewed negatively by the participants, they were unsure of the impact on their driving ability and the legality surrounding hands-free messaging behaviors.ConclusionsHandheld CUWD behaviors were more popular among young drivers compared to hands-free CUWD. Further, even though young drivers understood handheld cellphone use while driving is unsafe, they engaged in it anyway. The findings of this pilot study highlight the importance of better educational initiatives and optimizing hands-free interventions for young driver use cases.

【 授权许可】

CC BY