Towards Operationalizing Driver Distraction

Driver distraction has been the subject of much research interest and scientific inquiry. Operationalizing driver distraction is a complex task—one that is necessary for advancing both science and public policy in this domain. While many operational definitions can be gathered from the literature, gaps are common. In order to fill such gaps, 21 experts reviewed 55 driver distraction definitions in the literature. Aided by the results of a pre-workshop questionnaire the experts narrowed these definitions. The Regan et al. (2011) definition of driver distraction was agreed to at a workshop. Subsidiary terms related to this definition were defined to improve clarity and applicability of the definition. It is hoped that a consistent and agreed definition of driver distraction and its associated terms will advance scientific progress in understanding and measuring driver distraction.