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Executive
Summary
Background
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) mission is
to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce traffic-related healthcare
and other economic costs. While much focus has been placed in recent years
on alcohol-related driving and speeding, less focus has been paid to other
forms of potentially unsafe driving behaviors that draw drivers' attention
away from the primary task of driving such as distracted and drowsy driving.
However, a recent surge in legislation meant to curb cell phone use while
driving has increased interest in these and other forms of potentially
distracting activities for drivers.
NHTSA undertook this nationally representative
survey of drivers in order to collect data on the nature and scope of
the distracted driving problem with the intent of understanding how serious
the problem is in the public's eyes, and what countermeasures the public
may accept to control distracted driving.
Telephone interviews were conducted
with a nationally representative sample of 4,010 drivers (age 16 or older)
in the United States between February 4 and April 14, 2002. The data presented
in this document are based on the self-reported responses from these surveyed
drivers.
Key Findings
Engaging in Potentially Distracting
Behaviors While Driving
We considered 12 potentially distracting behaviors
in this study and asked drivers how often they personally engaged in
each behavior while driving.
The vast majority of drivers engage in two of
the behaviors on at least some driving trips, including:
· Talking with other passengers (81%)
· Changing radio stations or looking for CDs or tapes (66%)
Nearly half (49%) eat or drink while driving
at least some of the time, while the following three activities are
performed by about one in four drivers (at least some of the time):
· Making outgoing calls on a cell phone
(25%)
· Taking incoming calls on a cell phone (26%)
· Dealing with children riding in the rear seat (24%)
The other six activities are undertaken by about
one in ten or fewer drivers on at least some driving trips:
· Reading a map or directions while
driving (12%)
· Personal grooming (8%)
· Reading printed material (4%)
· Responding to a beeper or pager (3%)
· Using wireless remote Internet access (2%)
· Using telematics such as in-car navigation or crash avoidance
systems (2%)
Frequency of Engaging in Potentially Distracting
Behaviors While Driving
Based on projections from the sampled drivers,
drivers report making an estimated 4.2 billion one-way driving trips
in a typical week. The preliminary estimate from the 2001 National Household
Travel Survey (NHHTS ), which acquired personal travel data between
March 2001 and May 2002, reported that drivers made about 6.0 billion
one-way trips each week. The higher NHHTS figure is likely due to interviewing
differences and questionnaire design (eg. this study did not undertake
to acquire extensive data on trip detail or segment definition as did
the NHHTS). The measurement in this survey is intended to obtain relative
estimates of engagement in potentially distracting behaviors in relation
to other behaviors. Consequently, compared to the NHHTS, the actual
estimates of trips could be underestimated by as much as 30%.
To provide estimates of weekly trips involving
each behavior, the reported proportion of trips in which the driver
engages in a given behavior ¾ such as "on all or most trips"
or "on about three-quarters of driving trips" ¾ was
applied to the number of total reported weekly driving trips. The formula
used in these calculations can be found on page 24 of the report.
Drivers make the following estimated number of
driving trips each week while engaging in a potentially distracting
behavior on at least some portion of a driving trip:
· 2.38 billion trips while talking to
passengers (56% of all trips)
· 1.92 billion trips while changing the radio station or looking
for CDs or tapes (45% of all trips)
· 1.25 billion trips while eating or drinking (30% of all trips)
· 792 million trips while taking incoming cell phone calls
(19% of all trips)
· 776 million trips while making outgoing cell phone calls
(18% of all trips)
· 776 million trips while dealing with children in the back
seat (18% of all trips)
· 414 million trips while looking at maps or directions (10%
of all trips)
· 349 million trips while undertaking personal grooming (8%
of all trips)
· 131 million trips while responding to a beeper or pager (3%
of all trips)
· 116 million trips while using wireless Internet access (3%
of all trips)
· 59 million trips whiles using navigation or crash avoidance
systems (1% of all trips)
Wireless Cell Phone Use
While six in ten (60%) drivers report having
a cellular or wireless phone, more than half of those with cell phones
say they never or rarely use the cell phone while driving to make outgoing
or take incoming calls (58% and 56% respectively). While a small proportion
of drivers use cell phones only for outbound (5%) or only for inbound
(4%) calls, 21% use them for both inbound and outbound calls at least
occasionally. Thus about 30% of all drivers use a cell phone while driving
to make outgoing OR incoming calls on at least some of their driving
trips.
Wireless phone use is currently receiving a great
deal of legislative attention with several municipalities recently having
passed (or considering passing) laws that prohibit or limit cell phone
use (or hand-held cell phone use) while driving. Some of the legislation
seems to be based on the belief that the use of hands-free devices is
less distracting and may be preferable to hand-held phones. However,
others believe that any activity involving mental (such as conversation)
or physical (such as eating or playing with the radio) involvement distracts
drivers, and that hands-free phones simply offer convenience to drivers.
The current study finds that about one-third
(34%) of drivers who do use a cell phone while driving use a hands-free
model with speakerphone or head phones (32% of those using cell phones
for outbound calls and 36% using them for inbound calls). About 263
million of the 776 million weekly trips made using a cell phone for
outgoing calls are made using a hands-free phone. While approximately
291 million of the 792 weekly trips using a cell phone for incoming
calls are made using a hands-free phone.
Cell phone using drivers estimate that they spend an average of 4.5
minutes per call while driving. However, 13% of drivers typically spend
10 minutes or more per call.
Involvement in Crash as a Result of Wireless
Phone Use
Approximately one in four (26%) drivers report
involvement in a motor vehicle crash in the past five years. One tenth
of one percent (0.1%) of all drivers (0.5% of drivers who use a cell
phone while driving) attribute a crash they've had to cell phone use.
This equates to an estimated 292,000 drivers who report involvement
in a crash they attribute to cell phone use in the past five years.
Involvement in a Crash as a Result of Distracted Driving
While cell phones are reported to contribute
to some automobile crashes, other forms of distracted driving appear
to play a much more significant role. Several behaviors reportedly account
for many more crashes than do cell phones.
About 3.5% of all drivers have been involved
in a crash in the past five years they attribute to their being distracted
¾ equating to an estimated 6.0 million to 8.3 million drivers.
Drivers involved in a distracted-related crash
attribute their distraction to the following activities:
· Looking for something outside of the
car (building, street sign, etc.) (23% of drivers in a distracted
related crash; 0.8% of all drivers)
· Dealing with children or other passengers (19%; 0.7% of all
drivers)
· Looking for something inside the car (14%; 0.5% of all drivers)
· Another driver (11%; 0.4% of all drivers)
· Personal thoughts/thinking (5%; 0.2% of all drivers)
· Looking at an animal outside of the car (3%; 0.1% of all
drivers)
· Dealing with technology (primarily radio) (2%; 0.1% of all
drivers)
· Other distractions (23%; 0.8% of all drivers)
Perceptions of Actions That Distract Drivers
We asked drivers to rate 12 potentially distracting
behaviors that may make driving more dangerous. Drivers perceive the
following four behaviors to be the most distracting:
· Reading printed materials such as
a book, newspaper, or mail (80% feel it makes driving much more dangerous)
· Using wireless remote Internet equipment (such as a PDA or
wireless e-mail) (63%)
· Personal grooming (61%)
· Looking at maps or directions (55%)
Slightly less than half of all drivers feel that
engaging in the following behaviors while driving make driving "much
more dangerous":
· Making outgoing cell phone calls (48%)
· Taking incoming cell phone calls (44%)
· Answering or checking a pager or beeper (43%)
· Dealing with children in the back seat (40%)
One in four or fewer drivers perceive the following
activities to be distracting while driving and make driving "much
more dangerous":
· Using navigation or crash avoidance
systems (23%)
· Changing the radio station or looking for CDs or tapes (18%)
· Eating or drinking (17%)
· Talking to other passengers (4%)
Not surprisingly, drivers who themselves engage
in each behavior are less likely to feel it makes driving more dangerous
than those who do not engage in the behavior.
Perceived Severity of the Threat of Others'
Behavior
Not only do drivers perceive distracting behaviors
as more dangerous, but drivers also feel some actions are a major threat
to their personal safety. Seven out of ten (70%) drivers feel it is
a major threat to their safety when other drivers look at maps or directions
while driving. Fifty-two percent (52%) feel that others' use of cell
phones while driving is a major threat to their personal safety. These
relative perceptions of reading and using a cell phone while driving
as major threats to one's personal safety are similar to those reported
earlier on overall perceptions of how dangerous these activities are
(70% and 48% respectively).
Drivers who do not use cell phones while driving are three times as
likely as drivers who use them to feel such behavior by others is a
major personal safety threat.
Support for Initiatives to Curtail Cell Phone
Use While Driving
The majority of drivers support the five potential
actions measured in the survey to reduce cell phone use while driving.
Specifically, they support:
· Increased public awareness of the
risk of wireless phone use while driving (88% support)
· A restriction on hand-held phones while driving ¾
only allowing hands-free or voice-activated car-mounted phones (71%)
· Insurance penalties for being involved in a crash while using
a cell phone (67%)
· Double or triple fines for traffic violations involving cell
phone use (61%)
· A ban on all wireless phone use while a car is moving (except
for 911 calls) (57%)
While drivers who use cell phones are as likely
as non-users to support initiatives involving increased awareness of
the risks of cell phone use while driving, and a majority support restrictions
on hand held phone use while driving, they generally do not support
the use of increased traffic fines or a ban on wireless phones. Specifically,
cell phone-using drivers show much lower support than non-users for:
· Increased fines for traffic violations
when a cell phone is involved (only about 40% of drivers using cell
phones support increased fines compared to 70% support by drivers
who do not use cell phones while driving).
· A ban on all wireless phone use in a moving car (about a
quarter support such an action as compared to 69% support for drivers
who don't use cell phones)
Drowsy Driving
This study also examined prevalence and conditions
of drowsy driving. While the issue of drowsy driving is not currently
receiving the attention in the media or among the general public as
is the use of cell phones while driving, a significant number of drivers
have experienced drowsy driving. Specifically:
· Thirty-seven percent (37%) of drivers
have nodded off for at least a moment or fallen asleep while driving
at least once in their driving career
· Eight percent (8%) have done so in the past six months
Nodding off or falling asleep recently is most prevalent among drivers
age 21-29 (13%) and males (11%) and least prevalent among drivers
over age 64 (4%) and females (5%).
Characteristics of Drowsy Driving Trips
The average drowsy driving experience is associated with the following
characteristics:
· Driver averaged 6.0 hours of sleep the previous night (and
24% had slept fewer than five hours)
· Driver had been driving for an average of 2.9 hours (but
22% had been driving for more than four hours)
· Occurred while driving on an interstate type highway with
posted speeds of 55 mph or higher (59%)
· Nearly half (48%) nodded off between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Involvement in a Crash as a Result of Drowsy
Driving
In the past five years, about 0.7% of drivers
have been involved in a crash that they attribute to drowsy driving
¾ amounting to an estimated 800,000 to 1.88 million drivers.
Preventative Actions for Drowsy Driving
When asked what actions they take when they feel
sleepy while driving, 43% of drivers report they pull over and rest
or nap. While drivers may feel a social desirability to offer this response,
it may also depend on the level of sleepiness experienced. The severity
of a driver's drowsiness was not accounted for in this study.
Other key behaviors reported by drivers to combat sleepiness while driving
include:
· Open the window (26%)
· Get coffee, soda, or caffeine (17%)
· Pull over/get off the road (15%)
· Play the radio loudly (14%)
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