Driver distraction and mobile phone use Dublin, 20 March 2014

Francesco Mitis World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe mit@euro.who.int

Improving global road safety • UN GA resolution 64/255 of

2010 called for a Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011–2020)

• Second UN Global Road Safety Week

• Global Status Reports on Road Safety (GSRRS) (2009, 2013, 2015) as monitoring tools

Source: Global status report on road safety 2013: supporting a decade of action

GSRRS2013: participating countries

Source: Global status report on road safety 2013: supporting a decade of action

GSRRS2013: main messages • Globally a total of 1.24 million die

annually due to road traffic injuries • Of these 92 492 people die in the WHO

European Region (a fall of 25% compared to 2007)

• Only half the countries in EURO have comprehensive legislation to control the five main risk factors

• 43% of all road traffic deaths are among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists

GSRRS2013: inequalities persist in the WHO European Region • Large disparities still exist

across the Region • 66% of deaths are in low-

and middle-income countries (LMIC)

• Death rate in LMIC is 2.4 times higher than in high-income countries (HIC)

Risk factors (and legislation) • Speed • Drinking and driving • Seat-belts • Child restraints • Helmet for motorcyclists • Mobile phone use

Data • Data are poor (53 countries in the

world (29%) and 19 (37%) in Euro routinary collect them, (GSRRS2013))

• Specific studies in 12 countries (8 in Europe, (GSRRS2013))

• In the Netherlands, the use of mobile phones while driving was responsible for 8.3% of the total number of dead and injured victims in 2004

• US: 20% of all crashes on U.S. roadways involved distracted driving (2009)

Source: NHTSA survey , 2010

Prevalence • 60–70% of drivers report using a mobile phone at least sometimes while driving • Prevalence largely unknown - scattered studies

– It increased over the past 5-10 years up to 11% in some countries – Swedish drivers: mobile phone use while driving increased in the past 10 years: 30% of all

drivers with mobile phones reported using them daily while driving – London: 2.8% of car drivers were using hand-held phones and 4.8% hands-free phones – Barcelona (Martinez-Sanchez et al, 2014): 3.8% – Florence (Lorini et al, 2009): 4.5% – Hands-free mobile phone use even higher (NET: 2% vs 14%)

• Detailed data from US: National Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors – 2012

Text messaging • UK: 45% of drivers reported text messaging while driving • Australia: one in six drivers • US

– One in 10 respondents (10%) reported sending text messages or e-mails while driving at least sometimes

– almost 80% of respondents stated that they never do so – 11% reported sending text messages or e-mails on rare occasions – Of drivers sending messages or e-mails:

• 44% at the red light • 35% while driving • 6% from the side of the road

Risk • Studies suggest that drivers using a mobile phone are approximately four times

more likely to be involved in a crash • This increased risk appears to be similar for both hand-held and hands-free phones • Effect of age and sex unclear although research shows that:

– young and novice drivers: a high-risk group – elderly: more tasks at the same time, increased reaction time – sex: men more engaged in mobile phone use

• Risk taking: linked to other unsafe behaviours • Text messaging: more research needed • Other road users: pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists

Klauer et al, 2014

Distracted Driving and Risk of Road Crashes among Novice and Experienced Drivers

To facilitate objective assessment, accelerometers, cameras, global positioning systems, and other sensors were installed in the vehicles of 42 newly licensed drivers (16.3 to 17.0 years of age) and 109 adults with more driving experience.

Effects • Eyes off the road • Hands off the steering wheel • Minds off the road and the surrounding situation • Longer reaction times

– Braking reaction time – Reaction to traffic signals

• Impaired ability to keep in the correct lane and to maintain an appropriate speed

• Reduced field of view • Shorter following distances • Overall reduction in awareness of the driving situation

Interventions • Improve data collection to assess the magnitude of the problem and identify

groups at risk • Adopting and enforcing legislation relating to mobile phone use • Public awareness campaigns on the risk of the behaviour and on the fines • Technological solutions

– applications that detect when the phone is in a moving car and direct in-coming calls to a voice messaging Service

– smart keys • Company policies that regulate employees’ use of mobile phones while driving • Graduate Driver Licensing: education. Impact? • Effectiveness not adequately documented

GSRRS2013: legislation (# of countries) WORLD EUROPEAN REGION

Use of hand-held mobile phones not allowed

142 (78%) 50 (98%)

Also use of hands-free mobile phones not allowed

34 (19%) 5 (10%)

Text messaging only 42 (23%) -

Routinely collected data? 53 (29%) 19 (37%)

“According to the law, one can not use a radio or television, or any other sound or picture reproduction device or a communication device while driving, if this activity has a negative effect on the driving performance. The law applies also to cyclists. Negative effect is considered to take place if the steering systems of the vehicle become more difficult to operate or the driver’s concentration on traffic is disturbed by the device in some other way. Driver of an engine-powered vehicle must not use a mobile phone during drive by holding the phone in his/her hand. During drive, a mobile phone can be used only by utilising hands-free equipment. Hands-free equipment has not been defined more precisely in the legislation; at least for the time being, the equipment may be fixed or an independent device.”

An example

What’s next • Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015 • Main changes on legislation • European Fact Sheet • Monitoring the Decade • Local Launches • Advocacy