Driver Distraction

Driver distraction is a major concern for road safety. Distraction involves taking attention away from driving toward competing activities such as talking on a mobile phone or looking at roadside advertising signs, which could result in insufficient or no attention to activities critical for safe driving. In this chapter, we explore the mechanisms of driver distraction and its road traffic crash burden. Furthermore, this chapter introduces paradigms of prevention and summarizes key countermeasures to reduce distraction. Evidence on the effectiveness of legislation, education programs, and technological solutions such as mobile phone applications are discussed. Moreover, we acknowledge the potential role of distraction in the safe uptake of automated and connected vehicles. Looking toward the future it is likely that drivers are going to encounter new types of distractions arising from technological changes in the transport system and beyond.