What is distracted driving?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Click on a question below to get answers to some common questions about distracted driving, and where CAA stands on the issues.
Defining driver distraction
What are the sources of driver distraction?
What are the consequences of driving while distracted?
How many collisions are caused by distracted drivers?
Cell phones and safety
Is using a cell phone while driving illegal in Canada?
Are cell phones distracting if used while driving?
Is using a cell phone while driving more dangerous than other distractions?
Are hands-free cell phones safer than held-held devices?
Why is CAA calling for a restriction on the use of electronic devices by novice drivers?
What CAA is doing
What is CAA doing to address the problem of distracted driving?
Why doesn't CAA support a full ban on cell phone use by drivers?
What about banning hand-held cell phones?
Defining Driver Distraction
Q. What are the sources of driver distraction?
A. There are many distractions in everyday driving. Events and activities inside and outside the vehicle can cause driver distraction. Many of these have been recorded in the Crashworthiness Data System maintained by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and include:
- Something taking place alongside the roadway
- An unexpected noise
- Operating the radio, CD, or cassette player
- Adjusting the climate or operational controls
- Using other devices in the vehicle (navigational instruments, business tools, cellular telephones)
- Eating, drinking and smoking
Other distractions while driving include personal grooming, conversations with passengers, disciplining or tending to children, reading or writing.
Q. What are the consequences of driving while distracted?
A. Distracted drivers react more slowly to sudden traffic conditions or events, such as a car stopping to make a turn, or pulling out from a side road. They fail more often to recognize potential hazards such as pedestrians, bicycles or debris in the road. They decrease their "margin of safety" leading them to take risks that they might not otherwise take, such as turning left in front of oncoming traffic.
When a driver's attention is drawn away from the road and the surrounding environment, the result could be a delayed reaction to a hazard, or possibly a failure to detect it at all. All of these are common factors associated with vehicle crashes. Driver focus is critical to anticipating and avoiding collisions.
One of the earlier studies on distracted driving, released by Transport Canada's Ergonomics Division, 'The Impact of Cognitive Distraction on Driver Visual Behaviour and Vehicle Control' in February 2002 (Harbluk and Noy) found that performing a demanding cognitive task while driving produced changes in the drivers' visual behaviour, vehicle control (as indicated by braking behaviour), and subjective assessments of workload, safety, and distraction.
A more recent study by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released in April 2006 concluded that driver age, experience, daytime sleepiness ratings and personality can make significant differences in a driver's involvement in crashes and near-crashes due to distractions.
Q. How many collisions are caused by distracted drivers?
A. Driver distraction is cited as one of the most common contributors to traffic crashes but the numbers vary depending on the study. According to a 2006 study published by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the various forms of driver distraction are estimated to contribute in 8 out of every 10 crashes (NHTSA, April 2006). This figure translates into almost 4 million crashes per year. Estimates of a similar magnitude have been cited in other reports (NHTSA, 1997, Treat et al. 1979).
Cell phones and safety
Q. Is using a cell phone while driving illegal in Canada?
A. As of February 2010, the following Canadian jurisdictions have banned hand-held cell phone use while driving: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Of note, these bans are only for hand-held cell phone usage and not hands-free usage.
Also, drivers who cause a collision while using a cell phone or who are observed driving unsafely while using the device can be charged under a number of other provincial, territorial, or federal laws including, but not limited to: dangerous driving, careless driving and criminal negligence causing death or injury.
Q. Are cell phones distracting if used while driving?
A. Distractions caused by cell phones have been a focal point in the distracted driving issue. Like other distractions, cell phones undoubtedly can take a driver's attention off the road at a critical time, if used while driving.
Cell phone usage is part of the broader problem of driver distraction and is often singled out for enforcement and legislative attention. This is perhaps because the use of cell phones is more visible than other forms of distraction.
Using a cell phone while driving places demands on a driver's attentive resources, which is dangerous. Studies have shown that drivers who were distracted by cell phone use were unable to properly estimate safe stopping distances, anticipate hazards, and choose the appropriate time to enter into a line of traffic.
Distraction can also result from reaching for and manipulating the device. Even if you use a hands-free cell phone, pull over to take or place a call.
Q. Is using a cell phone while driving more dangerous than other distractions?
A. Research conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety indicates that the use of cellular phones does create an extra risk, largely due to the conversation that is involved. Risk occurs when you are thinking about the conversation you are having in addition to the physical distraction of handling or looking at the device. Stressful, emotional or important conversations are even more distracting.
Q. Are hands-free cell phones safer than held-held devices?
A. Hands-free units free you from having to physically manipulate the device, but don't reduce your need to think about the conversation you are having, which is a cognitive distraction. Trying to find various components of your hands-free phone; putting on a headset, or changing phone settings while driving can take your attention away from the driving task, and can increase your chances of being in a crash. If you use a hands-free cell phone, it is still better to pull over to take or place a call.
Q. Why is CAA calling for a restriction on the use of electronic devices by novice drivers?
A. Driving is a complex task that requires the full attention of the individual. Novice drivers must first learn how to operate a vehicle safely, before the added challenges of an unnecessary distraction.
Novice drivers already have many restrictions placed on them during the learning process — not to drive during certain hours or on four-lane highways are two examples of current restrictions placed on novice drivers. Restricting the use of electronic devices is one more safety precaution to ensure our sons and daughters become safe drivers while we create a generation of motorists that understand the risk of distractions.
What CAA is doing
Q. What is CAA doing to address the problem of distracted driving?
A. In the fall of 2005, CAA along with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, co-hosted the first ever International Conference on Distracted Driving. Delegates from across Canada, the United States and Europe met to discuss the larger issue of distracted driving, its causes and to determine the most appropriate solutions to combat distracted driving.
Q. Why doesn't CAA support a full ban on cell phone use by drivers?
A. It's a popular cause, to be sure, but CAA believes that simply banning cell phone use in vehicles is not a real solution to the problem of distracted driving. Distracted driving is a much larger issue that includes eating, drinking and even changing CDs while driving. While polls and surveys have shown that banning cell phone use by motorists is popular and supported by many people and politicians, it is still only one distraction that people can easily see and identify, making it an easy target. People would be just as outraged if all distractions were as obvious as cell phones, but they are often unaware that a driver can be dangerously distracted by operating a CD player, eating French fries, managing children, or daydreaming about their stock portfolio.
At CAA we believe we can better address the problem by helping people manage their own distractions through education.
CAA supports restricting cell phone use by novice drivers while they learn to become safe drivers, and also recognizes that having a cell phone can be very valuable in certain extreme travelling situations. We recommend that you safely pull over to the side of the road to take or place a call.
Q. What about banning hand-held cell phones?
A. Hands-free does not mean risk-free. Banning the use of a hand-held cell phone while driving merely replaces one distraction for another. Substituting a hands-free for a hand-held device is not a good first step because it does not really address the cognitive distraction of talking on a cell phone, or in some cases the physical distractions of dialing or answering the phone.
CAA is concerned that banning hand-held devices while allowing hands-free use will not provide any safety benefit, and may actually encourage people to talk longer. Banning the use of a hand-held phone merely places the phone out of sight while people still continue to talk using a hands-free device. The most important step is raising awareness about the dangers of all distractions.