TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and predictors of driver distractions in Cyprus
T2 - An observational study
AU - Sullman, Mark J.M.
AU - Lajunen, Timo J.
AU - Harte, Ciaran
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s)
PY - 2024/11
Y1 - 2024/11
N2 - Objective: Driver distractions are a significant contributor to road accidents and fatalities worldwide. The present research investigated the prevalence of observable driver distractions on both sides of Nicosia, as well as exploring the effect of drivers’ characteristics and time-related variables on their prevalence. Methods: Roadside observations were conducted at eight randomly selected locations in the city of Nicosia, Cyprus. Four of these sites were located in the area of Nicosia controlled by the Republic of Cyprus, and the other four were in the area that is referred to as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) by its administration. Results: A total of 16,070 drivers were observed, with 8,948 being in the Republic of Cyprus (South) and 7,122 in the Turkish-controlled section of Nicosia (North). A slightly higher proportion of drivers were observed driving distracted in the South (28.0%) than was found in the northern part of the city (25.7%). The most commonly observed secondary tasks in the South were using headphones (9.2%), talking to a passenger (8.1%) and using a mobile 0.4%, 3.7% talking and 2.7% texting). In contrast, the most commonly observed secondary tasks in the North were talking to passengers (10.2%), wearing headphones (8.4%) and using a mobile 0.6% for talking and 2.5% for texting). Gender-related differences were found for a number of different distractions (i.e., talking to passengers, drinking, and handheld mobile phone conversations), and age emerged as a significant predictor for most secondary tasks, including talking to passengers, smoking, hands-free mobile phone use, handheld mobile phone use, texting/keying numbers, drinking and engagement in any type of distraction (all distractions combined). The overall pattern for age was that middle-aged and older drivers were less likely to be distracted than younger drivers. Conclusions: A relatively high proportion of drivers on both sides of Nicosia were engaged in a secondary task while driving. These findings clearly indicate that younger drivers are more likely to drive distracted, which probably contributes to their higher crash rates.
AB - Objective: Driver distractions are a significant contributor to road accidents and fatalities worldwide. The present research investigated the prevalence of observable driver distractions on both sides of Nicosia, as well as exploring the effect of drivers’ characteristics and time-related variables on their prevalence. Methods: Roadside observations were conducted at eight randomly selected locations in the city of Nicosia, Cyprus. Four of these sites were located in the area of Nicosia controlled by the Republic of Cyprus, and the other four were in the area that is referred to as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) by its administration. Results: A total of 16,070 drivers were observed, with 8,948 being in the Republic of Cyprus (South) and 7,122 in the Turkish-controlled section of Nicosia (North). A slightly higher proportion of drivers were observed driving distracted in the South (28.0%) than was found in the northern part of the city (25.7%). The most commonly observed secondary tasks in the South were using headphones (9.2%), talking to a passenger (8.1%) and using a mobile 0.4%, 3.7% talking and 2.7% texting). In contrast, the most commonly observed secondary tasks in the North were talking to passengers (10.2%), wearing headphones (8.4%) and using a mobile 0.6% for talking and 2.5% for texting). Gender-related differences were found for a number of different distractions (i.e., talking to passengers, drinking, and handheld mobile phone conversations), and age emerged as a significant predictor for most secondary tasks, including talking to passengers, smoking, hands-free mobile phone use, handheld mobile phone use, texting/keying numbers, drinking and engagement in any type of distraction (all distractions combined). The overall pattern for age was that middle-aged and older drivers were less likely to be distracted than younger drivers. Conclusions: A relatively high proportion of drivers on both sides of Nicosia were engaged in a secondary task while driving. These findings clearly indicate that younger drivers are more likely to drive distracted, which probably contributes to their higher crash rates.
KW - Cell phone
KW - Driver characteristics
KW - Driver distraction
KW - Mobile phone
KW - Observational survey
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85203456101&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.trf.2024.08.035
DO - 10.1016/j.trf.2024.08.035
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85203456101
SN - 1369-8478
VL - 107
SP - 224
EP - 237
JO - Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
JF - Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
ER -