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Current Projects
Cardiovascular Health, Personality, and Distracted Driving
Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death, with distracted driving as a primary contributor. Certain personality types may be more likely to engage in distracted driving, increasing their risk of collision. The present study examined various forms of distraction and will involve a driving simulator as a means for studying driving performance of those with Type A personality. The study attempted to bridge a gap between prior studies that have been done on personality, cardiovascular reactivity, driving by testing the effects of all three variables on each other. Undergraduate Introductory Psychology students were recruited to complete a self-report screening measure, the Jenkins Activity Survey, to identify individuals that fall into Type A or Type B personality types. It was expected that Type A would exhibit riskier driving and higher cardiovascular reactivity than Type B, particularly during periods of greatest effort (i.e. texting).
Impact of Distraction and Health on Commercial Driving Performance
Commercial driver health and wellness has been recognized as a national primary concern of several federal agencies. One major contributor to compromised driver safety is distracted driving, an activity in which many commercial drivers engage. Also negatively impacting driving among commercial drivers are several health-related factors, such as disease, poor sleep quality and a variety of medical conditions. The proposed study will be among the first to examine the interaction of the psychological aspects of distracted driving and physical health in commercial drivers. Fifty commercial drivers between the ages of 21 and 65 will be recruited from Alabama-based trucking companies. Participants will complete four activities while driving in commercial truck driving simulator: (1) talking on a cell phone, (2) text messaging, (3) using an onboard mobile communication device, and (4) driving with no distraction. Participants will also complete questionnaires to provide basic health and demographic information, driving history, and experience with electronic devices, as well as a brief physical health assessment. Findings from this study are expected to impact multiple stakeholders; and to contribute to the development of future, large intervention studies targeting distraction and health factors in commercial drivers.
http://www.ntrci.org/areas_of_research/distracted_driving.aspx?id=20
Another current project, Impact of Distracted Driving on Congestion, was featured in the UTCA July 2010 Newsletter! Check it out by clicking the link below!
Impact of Distracted Driving on Congestion
Funding Sponsor: University Transportation Center for Alabama
Distracted driving has become an epidemic in the United States, particularly among young drivers. Despite the plethora of studies that have demonstrated a link between distracted driving and diminished safety, few studies have examined the association of distracted driving and another critically important transportation related issue: congestion. This project seeks to fill the research gap by examining the driving behavior of 75 individuals between 16 and 25 years of age operating a virtual driving simulator with driving conditions varying across three levels of service as outlined in the Highway Capacity Manual (free flow, stable flow, and unstable flow) and three levels of distraction (cell phone conversation, text messaging, and undistracted). We predict that engagement in any distracting condition (cell phone conversation or text messaging) will evoke driving behavior that may lead to reduced traffic flow (e.g., fewer lane changes, slower driving speed, increased number of MVCs and close calls), and expect this effect to be greatest during text messaging. The study will also examine several individual differences as factors to predict risky driving behavior under varying traffic and distraction conditions. We predict that those who are high sensation seekers will display riskier behavior (e.g., smaller gap acceptances when turning and changing lanes, smaller intervals to lead vehicles) when in the highest congestion condition (i.e., unstable flow) than those who are low sensation seekers. Results may enhance modeling simulation work completed by transportation engineers by providing a clearer account of distracted driver behavior.
A Pilot Study for Distracted Driving in Teens With and Without ADHD
Funding Sponsors: UAB University Transportation Center & Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies
Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are the leading cause of death for teenagers, accounting for approximately 1 in 3 deaths for this age group (NationalCenter for Injury Prevention and Control [NCIPC], 2009). With advancing technology, the number of distractions to which drivers are exposed continues to increase and such distractions may especially increase the risk and severity of motor-vehicle related injury for teens because of their lack of experience (Neyens & Boyle, 2008). The purpose of the present study is to examine what effect two common forms of distractions (cell phone & text messaging) might have on increased motor-vehicle injury risk in teens with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type (ADHD-C) - a group that has been identified as at particular risk for injury (Barkley, Guevremont, Anastopolous, DuPaul, & Shelton, 1993).
Distracted Driving In Teens with and without ADHD was also featured in the UAB UTC 09-10 Annual Report! Click the link below to check it out!
UAB UTC Winter 2010 Newsletter
Distracted Driving In Teens with and without ADHD was the research spotlight in the Winter 2010 edition of the UAB UTC update. Click the link below to check it out!