The Culture of Distracted Driving: Evidence from a Public Opinion Survey in Iowa

Traffic safety culture does not merely focus on risky behaviors and their consequences, but also on change in social norms, values, and beliefs. Past research has recommended establishing a comprehensive program to shape a safer traffic safety culture in the United States. In 2011, a cell phone and landline survey regarding traffic safety culture was disseminated across the state of Iowa. The survey gauged opinions from 1088 participants on driving experience, covering a wide range of traffic safety topics including law enforcement, driver education program, various driving behaviors, and attitudes toward traffic safety policies and programs. A descriptive analysis of the responses revealed a need for an in-depth study of the current culture related to distracted driving in Iowa. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was estimated to define the relationship among individual characteristics (participants' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics), experience, and attitudes towards distracted driving (mainly cell phone use). Four latent variables: distractibility (DB), self-reported distracted driving behavior (SDDB), personal acceptability of distracted driving (PADD), and prediction of possible crashes (PPC) caused by distraction were constructed to represent the culture around distracted driving. The SEM estimation results suggested that participants' distracted driving attitudes, experiences, and behaviors were highly correlated. In addition, it also suggested that participants' characteristics (primarily age and household income) strongly influenced their experiences and behaviors related to distracted driving. The results of this paper can be useful for developing interventions designed for target groups of drivers (primarily younger and high-income drivers) in a bid to transform the culture around distracted driving. Keywords: Driver distraction;