Driver Distraction: Behavioural Markers for Performance Impairment in Naturalistic Driving

There is substantial evidence that drivers frequently divert their attention away from tasks necessary for safe driving towards competing secondary behaviours (Johnson et al., 2011; Klauer, Dingus, Neale, Sudweeks, & Ramsey, 2006; Koppel, Charlton, Kopinathan, & Taranto, 2011). Referred to as ‘driver distraction’, these behaviours are estimated to account for around 23 percent of all crashes and near-crashes (Klauer et al., 2006). However, only a few studies have specifically examined distraction in the context of parents and child passengers (Koppel et al., 2011; Stutts et al., 2005). This PhD project explored the relationship between child passenger behaviours, driver distraction, and driving performance. This involved a Melbourne-based naturalistic driving study (NDS) conducted with parent drivers and their families, and the development and validation of new tools to more effectively analyse NDS data. These tools were used to study behavioural markers of driver distraction and to quantify magnitude and the potential effects on driving performance. The exploration of the antecedents and consequences of distraction provided new insights that will go on to inform the development of educational, technological and legislative countermeasures in the prevention of distraction-caused, crash-related injuries and fatalities