National Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors - 2015
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Summary
This report presents the findings of the 2015 National Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors (NSDDAB), the third in a series of telephone surveys conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The study aims to assess driver attitudes, self-reported behaviors, and perceptions regarding distracted driving, specifically focusing on cell phone use, texting, and mobile app usage. The data is intended to inform the development of countermeasures and interventions to reduce distracted driving on U.S. roadways. The survey was administered by Abt SRBI between January and April 2015, utilizing a dual-frame sample design that included households with landline and cell phones. The sample consisted of drivers aged 16 and older, with an oversample of younger drivers (16–34) to ensure adequate representation. Data were weighted to yield national estimates. A key methodological feature was the application of a driver typology based on cluster analysis of responses to 15 distracted driving behavior questions, categorizing respondents into two distinct groups: distraction-prone (42%) and distraction-averse (58%). The results indicate that while 90% of respondents own a cell phone, engagement in distracting behaviors varies significantly by driver type. Approximately 42% of drivers report answering calls while driving at least sometimes, and 9% report sending text messages or emails. Distraction-prone drivers are more likely to be younger, more affluent, and have higher levels of formal education than distraction-averse drivers. Despite high awareness of safety risks, with 97% of respondents feeling unsafe if a driver were watching a movie, many continue to engage in risky behaviors. Notably, 56% of those who use apps while driving believe it has no negative influence on their driving. However, attitudes have shifted positively over time; the proportion of respondents who feel safe when a driver uses a handheld phone decreased from 23% in 2010 to 10% in 2015, while support for laws banning handheld phone use reached 74%. The study concludes that driver type is a powerful predictor of norms, attitudes, and willingness to intervene in distracted driving situations. Distraction-averse drivers are more likely to perceive handheld phone use as unsafe and to intervene if a driver is distracted. Although the overall rate of crashes and near-crashes decreased slightly from 2010 to 2015, the likelihood of being distracted during such incidents increased significantly. The findings suggest that while public awareness and support for legislative bans have grown, behavioral change remains uneven, particularly among distraction-prone demographics. The report highlights the need for targeted interventions, as general educational messages have not uniformly reduced risky behaviors across all driver types.
Key finding
Cluster analysis classified 42 percent of drivers as distraction-prone and 58 percent as distraction-averse, with driver type serving as a powerful predictor of norms, attitudes, and intervention likelihood regarding distracted driving.
Methodology
survey
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 19 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | partial | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified_with_issues.
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- Applied Guidance: policy recommendations
- Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, behavioral performance data