Transcript Slide 1

Distraction
road
Insert theand
title
of safety
your
The
challenges for training
presentation
hereand education
Presented
by Name Here
Dr
Shaun Helman
Job Title
- Date Psychology, TRL
Head
of Transport
Table of contents
1
Distraction and inattention - Psychology
2
Effects on driving and safety
3
Training and education
4
Behavioural change
5
Conclusions
1
Distraction and inattention - Psychology
2
Effects on driving and safety
3
Training and education
4
Behavioural change
5
Conclusions
Don’t we all multitask?
 No
 Laboratory studies show that when we get people to undertake
more than one task at a time, those tasks interfere, even when
they are simple and physically ‘compatible’
 Various methods used to examine this in laboratory studies –
let’s look at one – the psychological refractory period (PRP)
PRP
A
Response
B
Response
Time
PRP
A
Response
B
Response
Time
PRP
A
Response
B
Response
PRP
Time
Attention…
“…the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid
form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously
possible objects or trains of thought. … It implies
withdrawal from some things in order to deal
effectively with others.”
James (1890, p403)
Distraction
“ A thing that prevents someone from concentrating on
something else.”
OED
PRP
A
Response
B
Distraction
Response
Inattention
Time
Taxonomy of driver distraction/innatention
Engström et al. (2013)
Distracted Driving
“Diversion of attention away from activities required
for safe driving due to some event, activity, object or
person, within or outside the vehicle”
(Basacik & Stevens, 2008)
Page  12
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Distraction and inattention - Psychology
2
Effects on driving and safety
3
Training and education
4
Behavioural change
5
Conclusions
Distraction and inattention effects on performance
 The literature is full of studies showing that distraction can cause
decrements in performance – here we report two
 McKenna and Farrand (1999)
 Burns et al. (2002)
Distraction and hazard anticipation
 McKenna and Farrand (1999) examined the effect of a
conversation-like task on hazard anticipation times, using
experienced and novice drivers
Distraction and hazard anticipation
 McKenna and Farrand (1999) examined the effect of a
conversation-like task on hazard anticipation times, using
experienced and novice drivers
Note graph shows approximate data from original paper.
Distraction and hazard anticipation
 McKenna and Farrand (1999) examined the effect of a
conversation-like task on hazard anticipation times, using
experienced and novice drivers
Note graph shows approximate data from original paper.
Distraction and hazard anticipation
 McKenna and Farrand (1999) examined the effect of a
conversation-like task on hazard anticipation times, using
experienced and novice drivers
Note graph shows approximate data from original paper.
Distraction and hazard anticipation
 McKenna and Farrand (1999) examined the effect of a
conversation-like task on hazard anticipation times, using
experienced and novice drivers
Note graph shows approximate data from original paper.
TRL car simulator ‘DigiCar’
Burns et al (2002) - TRL study
Choice reaction times to sudden events
Quality of decision making
 Other differences in responses to signs:
- Greater number of misses (i.e. drivers not responding to a sign when
they should have) in hands free condition than in alcohol condition
- Greater number of false alarms (i.e. drivers responding to a sign
when they should not have) in phone conditions than in alcohol
condition
Real-world studies
 Plenty of ‘real-world’ studies too
 Redelmeier and Tibshirani (1997)
 100-car study
 Simons-Morton et al. (2014)
Redelmeier and Tibshirani (1997)
 Analysis of phone records of 699 drivers who had cell phones
and had been involved in motor vehicle crashes (damage only)
- Compared crash-period with control period on previous day
 Drivers were at least four times more likely to have a crash when
speaking on a phone while driving
 No difference between hands-free and hand-held
100 car study
 Large-scale instrumented car study collecting pre-crash and nearcrash naturalistic driving data
 Data collection unobtrusive
- Video, front and rear sensors, accelerometers, GPS, vehicle speed etc.
 Drivers used cars for their everyday driving (2m miles)
- 82 crashes
- 761 near crashes
100 car study
 Findings
- 80% of crashes and 65% of near
crashes involved driver inattention of
some kind just before the event
- Visual inattention contributed to 93%
of rear-end crashes
- In-car mobile devices associated with
highest frequency of distraction for
near crashes
Simons-Morton et al. (2014)
 42 newly licensed drivers whose cars were instrumented to collect
data for 18 months of their early driving career
 Six seconds prior to each crash or near crash (CNC) event – coded
for longest eye glance off road (LGOR)
 When LGOR > 2 seconds due to interaction with mobile
communication device, more likely to see CNC
In short…
“You cannot do two things at once, if
one of them is driving.”
(Parkes, 2015, personal communication)
Do people try?
 Yes!
 Drivers engage in
activities they know
to be distracting
 Young males most
likely to do so
Lansdown (2012)
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Distraction and inattention - Psychology
2
Effects on driving and safety
3
Training and education
4
Behavioural change
5
Conclusions
Road safety training and education
 Education and training has a poor track record in terms of
impacting directly on road safety outcomes, especially for young
and novice drivers
“The only direct benefits imparted by broad driver education
and training would appear to be the basic vehicle control
skills and knowledge of road rules necessary for entering the
driving population. According to the evidence it has no
measurable direct effect on collision risk, and its continued
use should therefore be set against much lower expectations
in terms of what it can contribute directly to the safety of
new drivers.”
Helman, Grayson and Parkes (2010, p8)
Based on synthesis of numerous meta-analyses and systematic review papers (Clinton & Lonero,
2006; Mayhew et al., 2002; Roberts & Kwan, 2001; Christie, 2001; Vernick et al., 1999; Mayhew et
al., 1998; Brown et al., 1987)
Road safety training and education
 Education and training in this context typically means broad
approaches with off-road driving and classroom-based content
 However distraction is typically included in more focused courses
aimed at young drivers, or in targeted information campaigns
 Some approaches use techniques such as theatre education –
again distraction is often included as a topic
Problems with the traditional approach
 This isn’t really about ‘training’
 This is driver behaviour (not driver performance)
 What we are actually talking about here is behavioural change…
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Distraction and inattention - Psychology
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Effects on driving and safety
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Training and education
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Behavioural change
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Conclusions
Behaviour change techniques
 It’s about more than provision of information about
consequences!
 Abraham and Mitchie (2008) identified 26 BCTs based on key
theoretical frameworks
26 BCTs – one taxonomy
 Provide information
on:
 Provide:
- Contingent rewards
- Behaviour-health link
- Social comparison
- Consequences
- General encouragement
- Others’ approval
- Instruction
 Set graded tasks
 Model or demonstrate
behaviour
 Teach or use prompts
as cues
 Agree on behavioural
contract
- Feedback
 Use follow-up prompts
 Plan social support or
social change
 Relapse prevention
 Management of:
- Time
- Stress
 Prompt
- Identification as a role
model
- Self-talk
- Intention formation
- Barrier ID
- Specific goal setting
- Review of behavioural
goals
- Self-monitoring
- Practice
 Motivational
interviewing
Different BCTs are effective for different situations
 Albarracín et al. (2005) – interventions designed to promote use
of condoms
Different BCTs are effective for different situations
 Hillsdon et al. (2005) – communitybased physical exercise interventions
- Three techniques more common in
effective interventions
- Instructions in written materials
- Self-monitoring
- Follow-up phone support
What about road safety?
 Stradling, Fylan and Scott (2012) examined use of BCTs in road
safety interventions aimed at young people
- Only a handful are used (typically information about consequences
and risks)
- No effort made to use BCTs around supporting change
- Threat appraisals used, but not coping appraisals
‘Doing something’ is not always preferable
 It is possible to have
undesired effects
 Example: injunctive and
descriptive norms – these
need to work in the same
direction
 …because BOTH have an
impact!
‘Iron Eyes Cody’
https://cbsboston.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/litter.jpg?w=620&h=
349&crop=1
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx8pmuXNUq1qi8jcb.jpg
Cialdini et al. (1990) and Cialdini (2003)
 Problem is that both types of
norms influence behaviour –
‘Iron Eyes Cody’ may have
been ineffective because it
pitted them against each
other
 People litter MORE when the
environment is littered
Harm in road safety
 Plenty of other psychological
mechanisms by which harm can
be done (McKenna, 2010)
- Early licensure
- Overconfidence
- Risk as value
Harm in road safety
 Glendon et al. (2014)
- 1-day safety education course
- Riskier attitudes to driving in
intervention group after six
week follow-up
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Distraction and inattention - Psychology
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Effects on driving and safety
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Training and education
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Behavioural change
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Conclusions
Conclusions
 Distraction is an important topic for road safety because it
removes attention from the driving task
 Effects on performance and safety are reasonably clear –
distraction is a key factor in many road collisions and injuries
 Young (and male) drivers are more likely to engage in
distraction behind the wheel
Conclusions
 If education and training is to have a meaningful impact on
distracted driving in this group:
- We cannot simply assume information deficit (because there isn’t
one) and expect such an approach to work (because it doesn’t)
- We need careful attention to what is known about behavioural change
- We need to check that what we are planning will work (evaluate) –
otherwise we might be making things worse
Do You
Have Any
Questions?
Thank you
Distraction and road safety: the challenges for
training and education
Presented by Dr Shaun Helman
Head of Transport Psychology – TRL
Tel: 01344 77 0650
Email: [email protected]