Synthesis of Literature Relating to Cellular Telephone/Personal Digital Assistant Use in Commercial Truck and Bus Operations

NHTSA · 2011 · ROSA P / United States. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

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Summary

This 2011 report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) synthesizes existing literature on driver distraction caused by cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and smartphones in commercial truck and bus operations. The study was motivated by the widespread adoption of wireless devices and the recognition of driver distraction as a causal factor in commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes. The primary objective was to expand understanding of distraction risks in commercial vehicle operations (CVOs) to inform safety policies and further research, given the lack of specific studies on commercial drivers compared to general automotive drivers. The methodology consisted of a comprehensive literature review of published studies, including simulator, test-track, and naturalistic driving data. The review focused on how visually and cognitively demanding device use affects driver performance metrics, specifically lateral control, longitudinal control, reaction time, and workload. The authors noted significant discrepancies between laboratory studies, which often show exaggerated performance degradation, and naturalistic studies, which reflect real-world driving conditions where drivers may adapt their behavior. Key findings indicate that while research specifically targeting commercial drivers is limited, available evidence shows that visually distracting device use significantly degrades driver performance. Naturalistic studies revealed that text messaging increases the risk of safety-critical events by approximately 23 times, while dialing a cell phone increases risk by six times. Behaviors requiring eyes-off-road time greater than two seconds more than double the crash risk. Distraction negatively impacts lateral control, leading to increased lane deviations and steering variability, and longitudinal control, resulting in greater speed variance. Reaction times to hazards are also delayed. However, the report highlights that risk varies by task; for instance, talking on a hands-free phone poses less risk than manual dialing or texting. Additionally, much of the existing literature focuses on truck drivers, with little specific data on bus drivers. The significance of this synthesis lies in its guidance for policymakers, fleet administrators, and safety professionals. The findings underscore that wireless communication devices pose substantial safety risks in CVOs, particularly when they demand visual or manual attention. The report concludes that while device design considering driver workload may mitigate some risks, further empirical research is needed to determine the differential risks of various devices and to address the specific distraction challenges faced by commercial drivers in their normal job functions.

Key finding

Visually demanding device use significantly degrades driver performance and increases the risk of safety-critical events, with text messaging raising the likelihood of such events by approximately 23 times compared to non-texting commercial drivers.

Methodology

review

Provenance

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Topics

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• mobile phones
• visual
• distraction laws
• visual manual
• manual
• external distraction

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, behavioral performance data
• Theoretical Contribution: conceptual framework