Frequency and Patterns of Smartphone Use While Driving: Evidence from Self-Reports

Smartphone usage while driving is a source of increased risk stemming from the engagement in a secondary task. Answers of 757 Israeli respondents (57% males) to a web survey were analyzed to investigate: (1) patterns of usage (how frequently, on what circumstances) of various Smartphone features and apps while driving, (2) drivers’ views about the safety and necessity of usage (whether the user feels "bothered" if usage was disabled), and (3) willingness to use a technology that limits usage. The authors found that a high percentage of respondents use phone calls (73%) and texting (35%, illegal in Israel) while driving. Respondents who mainly use the phone for work purposes are more commonly frequent users. While phone calls were perceived to compromise safety by 34% of users, texting was perceived to compromise safety by 84% of users. Perceived necessity among frequent users was slightly higher for phone calls (76%) than for texting (69%). Using a logistic regression, the authors found that while perceived necessity and perceived safety were significant factors associated with frequent Smartphone calls, only perceived necessity significantly predicted being a frequent texting user. The willingness to use a technology that limits usage was found to be related primarily to perceived necessity, perceived safety, and work-related usage. Frequency of usage did not explain willingness to use such technology, indicating that it should not be an important factor in designing and implementing interventions to limit usage while driving.