Study on the Influence of Distraction on Crash Injury Severity Using Partial Proportional Odds Model

This article tries to study the effects of distraction on injury severity of crashes. For this purpose, crashes that have occurred in the US have been taken in to consideration. Distraction can be categorized in 5 groups; which are: usage of cellular phones, cognitive, passengers distracting the driver, outside events attracting the driver’s attention and in- vehicle activities. Moreover, the effects of distraction on crashes in the presence of other factors have been studied; factors that refer to the driver’s personal characteristics such as age, gender, physical status and also factors like time of occurrence, lighting and weather conditions. Other parameters are related to road and vehicle characteristics, for instance number of lanes, slope, curves, type of vehicle and their age. Analyzing the severity of crashes using generalized ordered Logit model shows that cell phone usage and distraction caused by in-vehicle activities increases the severity of crashes whereas other factors of distraction reduces severity.