Distracted Driving

Problem Narrative

According to the CDC, about 15 people die everyday in the United States, and about 1200 are injured in car accidents involving distracted driving¹. Today, drivers have many distractions associated with technology that were not present in the past, with the main one being cellphones.  Car accidents numbers have skyrocketed with the development of cellphone technologies, surpassing car accidents related to alcohol. This problem is a growing compromise to the safety of communities.

 

As shown in the graph above, a driver’s reaction time will decrease by 35% while texting, compared to 12% while under the influence of alcohol.

The cellphone distractions while driving involve: Texting, e-mailing, use of social media, and even dialing a phone number.

In an attempt to raise awareness, a school and police in the UK created the video below. (Please be advised that this video contains bloody scenes, but is a sad representation of what happens in real life):

Behavior Over Time

The problem of using cellphones while driving has been increasing over time with the development of cellphone technology, especially among younger populations who grew up with the technology. The graph below shows the percentage of population making or receiving phone calls while driving: 

       “National Survey of Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behavior” NHTSA 2011²

While this graph shows the percentage of population texting while driving:

“National Survey of Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behavior” NHTSA 2011²

Relevance of a System Perspective

The problem of distracted driving is a major concern for everybody on the road. A system approach can become handy in presenting how all the variables involved in it can interact with each other and what factors are important. There are several actors in the system such as the drivers, the technology developers, and policy makers. Then there are factors that play an important role such as new regulations regarding the use of cellphones while driving and raising public awareness. Then there are delays associated with new policies and how they will impact the whole system.

Study Objective and Questions to be Answered

The objective of this study is to address some questions, such as: Why are people using cellphones while driving? What policies or regulations are in place now? What can be done in the future to reduce the number of car accidents associated with cellphone usage while driving?

References:
1.    http://www.cdc.gov/features/dsdistracteddriving/
2.  http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/research.html