Presentation
Decreasing Cell-Phone Use While Driving: The Effect of Do Not Disturb Training and Exposure
DescriptionSmartphone use while driving can lead to off-road glances and increase crash risk. Effective countermeasures are needed to decrease smartphone use while driving. Android and iOS smartphones have a Do Not Disturb feature (DND) that limits incoming notifications. Despite ease of access, DND is rarely enabled. This study investigated the effect of training on knowledge of DND and DND impact on phone use while driving. Thirty drivers (age 18-24, M = 21.15; SD = 1.91) who did not use DND participated for 10-weeks by downloading “DriveWell Go” (CMT) and having their vehicle instrumented with a data acquisition system (DAS). The first 5-weeks represented baseline driving (Pre-DND), then participants received training and activated DND at 5-weeks, then drove for another 5-weeks (Post-DND). Participant DND knowledge improved by as much as 85%. Results suggested participants wanted to use music and navigation apps while driving, would be open to automatic DND activation in a range of driving scenarios, and would be likely to increase their use if DND had better passenger/public transit recognition. Compared to Pre-DND, the odds of a phone pickup decreased by 6% Post-DND. Developers of DND should investigate improving context recognition and automatic DND activation in risky driving scenarios.
Event Type
Industry/Practitioner Content
Lecture
TimeThursday, October 16th11:50am - 12:10pm CDT
LocationGrand A
Surface Transportation