A study by the American Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) provides data that changes the previous professional assumptions about driver behavior. Contrary to the earlier belief that drivers most often use mobile phones at lower speeds, analysis of data from applications for safe driving shows that the frequency of mobile phone use actually increases in proportion to speeding.
Risks on expressways
Research has shown that on roads such as highways, the proportion of time spent with a mobile phone increases by 12% for every 8 km/h over the speed limit. On other roads, such as highways, this increase is somewhat lower and amounts to 3% for each interval of 8 km/h. These results were obtained by excluding time spent in stoppages or at intersections, focusing solely on active driving.
It is a worrying fact that the correlation between the use of mobile phones and speed is most pronounced precisely on the roads with the highest permitted speeds. For example, on highways with a speed limit of about 112 km/h (70 mph in the US), any acceleration over that resulted in a 9% higher increase in cell phone use compared to roads with a speed limit of 88 km/h (55 mph). The conclusion is that drivers who are more prone to risk often combine these two dangerous behaviors.
What is the cause?
Stress, especially during rush hours, but also the driver’s perception of the environment are cited as possible reasons for the observed patterns of behavior. Fewer pedestrians, fewer traffic lights and less traffic on expressways can create a false sense of security, encouraging drivers to reach for their cell phones more often. Earlier studies, which suggested that drivers were more cautious at higher speeds, were often limited by small samples or incorrectly included stopping time in the overall statistics.
This analysis was based on almost 600,000 journeys. Telematics data is collected from safe driving applications that use GPS and smartphone sensors to track acceleration, braking and use of the devices themselves. By using the gyroscope inside the cell phone, the researchers were able to precisely detect the rotation of the device and the unlocking of the screen, allowing for a more comprehensive measurement of distraction than ever before.
Recommendation: more smart cameras
The IIHS says the findings could directly influence police surveillance strategies. Instead of separate campaigns, experts suggest combining actions against speeding and distraction, especially on highways. Since the traditional stopping of vehicles there is logistically demanding, the IIHS advocates the wider use of security cameras that can detect both violations at the same time, which would reduce the risk on the roads more effectively – which is a trend we see in the world, including in our country.