Mitigating Teen Driver Distraction: In-Vehicle Feedback Based on Peer Social Norms

Donmez, Birsen; Merrikhpour, Maryam; Nooshabadi, Mehdi Hoseinzadeh · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1177/0018720819891285

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Summary

This study investigates whether in-vehicle feedback based on peer social norms can mitigate distraction among teenage drivers. Teen drivers are disproportionately involved in fatal crashes caused by distraction, and while in-vehicle technologies offer potential countermeasures, the efficacy of social norms interventions specifically targeting this demographic remains underexplored. Adolescents are heavily influenced by peer behavior; thus, the researchers hypothesized that correcting teens' likely overestimation of peer distraction engagement through descriptive norm feedback would reduce risky driving behaviors. Additionally, the study examined whether tailoring feedback to same-gender peers would be more effective than opposite-gender feedback, based on Social Comparison Theory. The researchers conducted a driving simulator experiment with 57 licensed teens (ages 17–19) using a mixed factorial design. Participants completed five drives while performing a self-paced visual-manual secondary task involving phrase selection on a touchscreen. The study employed three between-subject conditions: post-drive feedback comparing performance to same-gender peers, post-drive feedback comparing performance to opposite-gender peers, and a no-feedback control group. Feedback was provided after drives 2 through 5, displaying artificial normative data indicating lower distraction rates than participants likely perceived. Measures included distraction engagement (glances >2 seconds, time looking at display, manual interactions) and driving performance (lane deviation, braking response). Statistical analyses included repeated measures MANOVAs and negative binomial models. Results indicated that peer norm feedback was effective in reducing distraction engagement and improving driving performance compared to the no-feedback condition. Teens in feedback groups showed decreased rates of long glances, reduced time looking at the secondary display, and fewer manual interactions as the experiment progressed. Conversely, distraction engagement increased in the no-feedback group. Driving performance metrics, such as standard deviation of lane position and maximum deceleration, also improved with feedback. Notably, there was no significant difference in effectiveness between same-gender and opposite-gender feedback, contradicting the hypothesis that socially proximal referents yield greater behavioral influence. Furthermore, questionnaire data revealed that teens’ self-reported distraction engagement was positively correlated with their perceptions of peer engagement and approval. The findings suggest that in-vehicle systems providing post-drive feedback based on peer descriptive norms can successfully mitigate teen driver distraction. The lack of additional benefit from gender-tailored feedback implies that broader peer norms are sufficient for intervention. These results support the integration of social norms feedback into vehicle information systems as a viable strategy for enhancing teen driving safety. However, the authors note that longer-term effectiveness in real-world settings requires further investigation.

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• passenger effects
• in vehicle coaching