341
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Distraction impairs drivers of all ages: A cross-sectional analysis of fatal crashes in the United States

, , , &
Pages 465-470 | Received 28 Feb 2022, Accepted 27 Jul 2022, Published online: 27 Sep 2022
 

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the association between distracted driving and crash responsibility across the whole age span after adjusting for several driver characteristics and the potential influence of alcohol and drugs.

Methods: Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the years 2010 to 2019, we estimated the association between distracted driving and crash responsibility in drivers (of passenger-type vehicles) aged 20 and older, with a confirmed blood alcohol concentration of zero, and who tested negative for drugs (n = 33,513). We operationalized crash responsibility as having one or more unsafe driving action (UDA) recorded.

Results: In total, slightly under 9% of the drivers examined were coded as distracted. The most common UDA among distracted drivers was a failure to yield right of way (23.4% vs. 14.2% for non-distracted drivers). Driving distracted was associated with higher odds of an UDA for drivers of all ages (overall OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.24, 1.73).

Conclusions: Distracted driving affects drivers of all ages. Given that distracted driving is highly preventable, we must increase our prevention efforts.

Acknowledgements

Parts of the work presented here were completed by Carlina Marchese in fulfillment of a Master of Health Sciences degree. We thank the thesis external examiner, Dr. Jeff Brubacher, for his excellent and constructive comments.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 61.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 331.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.