Distraction, or the shifting of attention from actions critical to driving to other activities, is a big problem in traffic. A distracted driver is still alert but his attention is focussed on something other than the driving task. An activity can lead to visual, auditory, physical and/or cognitive distraction. Potentially distracting activities are: talking on the telephone, operating a GPS, talking to a passenger, eating, drinking … In Belgium distraction while driving is punishable by three articles in the Traffic Regulations. Article 8.4 states that it is forbidden to phone while driving. Article 7.2 and article 8.3 state that a driver must always be able to steer and may not bring other road users in danger with his behaviour. These two sections can be used to punish other forms of distraction other than phoning. There are a number of studies that can be found on distraction in traffic and then primarily in connection with making a telephone call while driving. Yet prevalence figures are scarce. Studies show that drivers spend 25% to 30% being engaged in distracting activities while they are driving. A causal connection between distraction and road casualties is difficult to determine. It is estimated that distraction plays a role in 5% to 25% of road casualties. Talking on the telephone while driving influences driving behaviour more than driving under the influence of alcohol. Possible effects are: longer reaction time, diminished control over the vehicle, reduced situation awareness which means changes in traffic are not picked up so quickly, taking more risks, reduction of adaptation of speed and driving behaviour to the circumstances and showing compensation behaviour in the terms of lowered speed and bigger following distances. Hands-free use of the mobile phone is also dangerous; the physical and visual distractions are reduced compared to handheld use of the telephone, but the cognitive distraction is equally big. Typing in a phone number while driving has an impact on driving performance as well. Research shows that 30% to 48% of drivers use the phone while driving. Although these activities occur frequently, they amount to only 1.3% of the total driving time. Young drivers are more inclined to use a phone and the consequences of this are even more dramatic than for older drivers. Young people find that using the phone while driving is less dangerous than compared to older people. The accident risk for talking on the telephone while driving is 3 to 4 times higher than for drivers who do not use a telephone while driving. Having a conversation on the telephone while driving has no influence on the accident risk of professional drivers. We can determine a “do as I say and not what I do” attitude where having a telephone conversation while driving is concerned. On the one hand drivers know that talking on the telephone while driving is risky and dangerous but yet they do it themselves. 82% of Belgian drivers agree that attention diminishes while having a telephone conversation while driving and 85% of the drivers find it dangerous. Yet 26% of these drivers ‘may make’ a phone call while driving. Texting while driving also causes physical, visual and cognitive distractions. The consequences are comparable to having a telephone conversation while driving: the reaction time takes longer, the driver is less able to stay in the centre of the traffic lane, following distance becomes shorter, the driver often looks away from the road and fewer dangers and traffic signs are noticed. Writing a text message is even more dangerous than reading one. Using a smartphone makes texting even more dangerous. The smooth surface of a touchscreen requires more visual input and because of this drivers look at their phone more often. A driver can do more than just text and make phone calls on a smartphone. Using a smartphone for social networking has a bigger impact on driving performance than driving under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, hands-free use of a mobile phone and texting while driving. International research has shown that 12% to 16% of the drivers text while driving. Reading a text is more common than sending one. Texting behind the wheel is more common for younger drivers. Texting while driving plays a role in 2% to 3% of accidents. It is exceptionally dangerous especially for professional drivers, with an accident risk that is 23 times higher than for drivers who do not exhibit this behaviour. Advertising boards next to the road are also a source of distraction, especially if they contain moving images, are in the centre of the vision range, are at eye-level and contain emotionally charged messages. Reaction time is longer, the driver often looks away from the road and less dangers and traffic signs are noticed, the reaction time to traffic signs is slower and the driver is less able to stay stable on course. At present there are no prevalence figures and research regarding accident risks of advertising boards give ambiguous results. A number of studies show that more road accidents happen in the vicinity of advertising boards but other studies show no effect on road accidents. Operating a music system can have a negative effect on driving ability. Particularly difficult operations such as looking for a specific song, influence driving skills. Possible consequences are: less able to stay on course, reduction in speed, slower reaction time and a significant amount of time looking inside the car. 47% to 95% of drivers operate a music system while driving, but this only accounts for 1.3% of the total driving time. It is therefore a brief and momentary activity. Music can also influence driving behaviour. Loud music causes slower reactions and drivers commit more offences, high-tempo music can increase driving speed and can cause more offences. However music can also help drivers stay more alert and can thus positively influence driving abilities. Using other portable electronics can also have a negative impact on driving behaviour. It is not the apparatus itself that is dangerous but the manner in which they are used by the driver. An example of this would be that a destination is entered into the navigation system while driving. This behaviour can be found for 12% of drivers. Eating and drinking while driving influences greater deviations in the lateral position of the vehicle, a reduction in speed and looking away from the road more often. Drivers eat and drink while driving 1.4 to 4.6% of the time. Other forms of distraction with a high level of individual accident risk are: reaching for an object, looking at an object outside the vehicle, attending to personal hygiene. Using the telephone while cycling or walking also poses certain dangers. Having a telephone conversation while cycling results in a reduction of speed, a longer reaction time and a narrowing in the field of vision resulting in more objects not being seen. Pedestrians on the phone take more risks when crossing a road, walk more slowly and therefore take longer to cross a road and often miss conspicuous objects. Prevalence figures are scarce. Talking on the phone while cycling occurs less often than talking on the phone while driving. The older the vulnerable road user is, the less likely he is to use apparatus while cycling or walking. 1.5% of cyclists and 16% to 24% of pedestrians use the telephone while cycling or walking. 0.3% of cyclists text while cycling. Listening to music is strongly linked to age: younger cyclists listen to music more often, despite the complexity of the traffic situation. Cyclists who make or answer a call almost every trip, are 1.4 more times at risk to have an accident than those who do not exhibit this behaviour. The risk of talking on the phone while cycling is therefore smaller than the risk of talking on the phone while driving. Some studies suggest that professional drivers, who often have to carry out different and concurrent tasks, show distracting behaviour more often. The observation study of Belgian drivers show that drivers of delivery van and lorries carry out distracted behaviour more often and that therefore distraction is more common in commercial traffic. However, these drivers are less susceptible to effects of distractive behaviour. Talking on the telephone while driving poses no accident risk for professional drivers. Reaching for a telephone or another object increases the accident risk by a factor of 3, texting while driving increases the risk by a factor of 23. In the first Belgian observation study with regard to distraction, the frequency with which Belgian drivers carry out distracted behaviour was measured. This study showed that 8.1% carry out a potentially distracting activity while driving. 3.2% of Belgian drivers are distracted by a mobile phone, 2% talk on the telephone with the phone in their hand and 1.2% use their telephone hands-free while driving. The percentages are even higher on the highway. Drivers of delivery vans and lorries use the phone more often behind the wheel than other drivers. Also operating the phone was found for 1.2% of the drivers. Men did this more often than women and this behaviour occurred more on the highways than on other types of roads. The last attitude measurement shows us that 2% of Belgian drivers almost always use the telephone while driving. The younger the driver, the more often the phone is used. The third and fourth edition of the SARTRE project showed that Belgian drivers performed slightly better with talking on the telephone behind the wheel compared to the European average. The attitude measurement also showed that 2% of Belgian drivers claim to almost always send a text message while driving, 2% claim to always read a text message while driving. 90% of Belgian drivers find texting behind the wheel dangerous. Legislation and enforcement are less efficient in dealing with distraction while driving. Distracting activities are, after all, difficult to pinpoint. Should a prohibition be legally instated, it must be technology neutral. Legislation goes hand-in-hand with enforcement. A high subjective chance of getting caught can bring about a behavioural change. For this reason awareness campaigns are very important. They can show drivers the dangers of distraction behind the wheel. Furthermore, they can create a social norm which makes distraction while driving unacceptable. Awareness about distraction should also be addressed during the driving lessons. Young, novice drivers must be given information about the dangers of distraction and about strategies which can be applied to counter distraction behind the wheel. Also with continued training, which is compulsory for professional drivers, attention needs to be given to the dangers of distraction while driving. Businesses can also contribute by implementing safety policies in connection with distraction behind the wheel. The regulation must be communicated clearly, employees need to be regularly informed about the risks of distraction and they must be given education and training. There are also a large number of technical solutions, such as warning systems which measure the degree of distraction and inform distracted drivers or intervene on behalf of the driver when there is danger, systems which ensure that certain apparatus cannot be used while driving, and work-load managers that checks the workload of the driver and supresses incoming phone calls when the workload is too high. (Author/publisher)
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