title: Commercial Truck Driver Health and Safety: Exploring Distracted Driving Performance and Self-Reported Driving Skill.
abstract: Reducing distracters detrimental to commercial truck driving is a critical component of improving the safety performance of commercial drivers, and makes the highways safer for all drivers. This study used a driving simulator to examine effects of cell phone, texting, and email distractions as well as self-reported driver optimism bias on the driving performance of commercial truck drivers. Results revealed that more visually demanding tasks were related to poorer driving performance. However, the cell phone task resulted in less off-the-road eye glances. Drivers reporting being "very skilled" displayed poorer driving performance than those reporting being "skilled." Onboard communication devices provide a practical, yet visually and manually demanding, solution for connecting drivers and dispatchers. Trucking company policies should minimize interaction between dispatchers and drivers when the truck is in motion. Training facilities should integrate driving simulators into the instruction of commercial drivers, targeting over-confident drivers.
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham dstavrin@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Despina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stavrinos
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heaton
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: Sharon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Welburn
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McManus
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: Philip R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Fine
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000193:education; D040421:Cell Phone; D003198:Computer Simulation; D000071826:Distracted Driving / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D016272:Occupational Health; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D060145:Text Messaging; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: GEE Poisson; cell phone; commercial truck driver; distraction; driving simulator; email; optimism bias; texting