A comparative analysis of risk associated with eating, drinking and texting during driving at unsignalised intersections

Abstract

Abstract The present study analysed and compared the impacts of distraction caused by eating, drinking and texting on risky driving behaviour at unsignalised intersections. For this purpose, 89 participants approached the simulated unsignalised intersections through the minor road and encountered a series of vehicles on the major road. Their driving performance data were analysed in terms of reaction distance and accident probability at approach and completion zones respectively. The results revealed that during the texting tasks, the drivers detected the major road traffic at a later stage compared to the baseline. Further, unlike the texting task, the eating and drinking tasks did not affect the driving performance negatively in the approach zone. However, the accident risk in the completion zone was increased significantly due to the presence of the eating and drinking tasks. Unexpectedly, the accident risk was as low as 76% for the texting task while crossing through the intersections, possibly because of the compensatory measures adapted by the drivers. The study suggested that everyday distractions could result in unsafe consequences particularly in complex driving situations because of the lower risk perceptions associated with these distractions.