Text messaging during simulated driving.
OBJECTIVE
This research aims to identify the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance.


BACKGROUND
In the past decade, a number of on-road, epidemiological, and simulator-based studies reported the negative impact of talking on a cell phone on driving behavior. However, the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance is still not fully understood.


METHODS
Forty participants engaged in both a single task (driving) and a dual task (driving and text messaging) in a high-fidelity driving simulator.


RESULTS
Analysis of driving performance revealed that participants in the dual-task condition responded more slowly to the onset of braking lights and showed impairments in forward and lateral control compared with a driving-only condition. Moreover, text-messaging drivers were involved in more crashes than drivers not engaged in text messaging.


CONCLUSIONS
Text messaging while driving has a negative impact on simulated driving performance. This negative impact appears to exceed the impact of conversing on a cell phone while driving.


CONCLUSIONS
The results increase our understanding of driver distraction and have potential implications for public safety and device development.
Drews
Frank A
FA
University of Utah, Psychology, 390S 1530E BEH RM 502, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA. drews@psych.utah.edu
Yazdani
Hina
H
Godfrey
Celeste N
CN
Cooper
Joel M
JM
Strayer
David L
DL
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D040421:Cell Phone; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012449:Safety; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult