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Abstract
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The Road Safety Monitor (RSM) is an annual public opinion survey conducted by the traffic injury research Foundation (TIRF) and sponsored by transport Canada and the Brewers association of Canada. The survey takes the pulse of the nation on key road safety issues by means of a telephone and on-line survey of a random, representative sample of Canadian motor vehicle drivers.
> The annual results of the RSM are released in a series of reports (available at: www.tirf.ca) - the present one focuses on distracted driving.
> Distracted driving is an important road safety issue that warrants our concern and attention. distraction leads to performance decrements while driving and the level of risk of crashing increases as a result of distraction.
> the majority of Canadians associate distracted driving with cell phones (72.2%) and the majority (74.4%) also think that cell phones are the most dangerous distraction while driving. this may suggest that Canadians do not fully appreciate the complete spectrum of behaviours that can be distracting.
> Approximately three quarters (75.4%) of Canadians reported that distracted drivers in general are a very or extremely serious problem; 72% think that drivers using cell phones are a very or extremely serious problem; and, 90.2% think that drivers texting messages on their phones while driving are a very or extremely serious problem.
> Canadians frequently engage in many activities that can be distracting while driving: 85.7% read road signs, 67% talk or interact with passengers, 54.8% think about things other than the driving task at hand, 45.8% change the radio stations or CDs, 40.9% read billboards or advertising, 32% eat or drink, 19.9% talk on their hands-free phone, 17.4% use GPS to navigate, 8% talk on their hand-held phone, 7.4% use technical devices such as blackberries, palm pilots, or laptops, 5.2% text message on their phone, and 3% read a newspaper, put on make-up or shave.
> Canadians are using their cell phones more often today compared to results from 2001 through to 2006, but this increase was most notable for those using their cell phones for less than 10 minutes a week and there has been a decrease in those using their cell phones for over 30 minutes a week.
> Few drivers admitted to being in a collision due to distractions within the last year with only
4.3% having been in a crash because of a distraction outside their vehicle and 2.7% because of a distraction inside their vehicle. More Canadians admitted they had to brake or steer to avoid being in a collision because they were distracted in the last month with 27.3% admitting having done so because of a distraction outside their vehicle and 12.6% because of a distraction inside their vehicle.
> With regards to the use of various measures for dealing with the issue of distracted driving, 79.8% agreed that new drivers should be restricted from using cell phones while driving; 70% agreed that greater awareness and education efforts are needed to alert drivers to the problem of distracted driving; and, 67% agreed that the use of cell phones while driving should be banned.
Keywords: Driver distraction; |