The effects of using mobile phones and navigation systems during driving Driving might be the most complex task that many engage in on a daily basis. Drivers need to pay attention to other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, while keeping the car safely between the road markings and at an appropriate distance from any vehicle in front. Several factors relating to human behaviour affect the likelihood of someone being involved in a crash. The WHO (2015) distinguishes speed, drink driving, motorcycle helmets, seatbelts and child restraints, and distracted driving as the key risk factors. Many countries have put distraction as one of their policy priorities for the coming years. The precise impact of distracted driving on crash likelihood is not known yet. Estimates of road user distraction being a contributory factor in accidents range from 10 to 30% (TRL, TNO, & RappTrans, 2015). This thesis focuses on drivers being distracted from mobile phones and navigation systems, and how their driving performance is affected. Mobile phones are predominantly smartphones nowadays, with touchscreens, downloadable apps and e-mail. Most drivers in Western countries own a mobile phone. Navigation systems may help the driver navigate, providing both efficient routes and comfort. Navigation systems are widely used, for instance in the Netherlands two third of all Dutch households own a portable navigation system in 2015 (KiM, 2015).

Objective: In this study, we assessed the use of portable navigation systems in everyday driving by applying in-vehicle naturalistic driving. Method: Experienced users of navigation systems, 7 females and 14 males, were provided with a specially equipped vehicle for approximately 1 month. Their trips were recorded using 4 cameras, Global Positioning System (GPS) data, and other sensor data. The drivers’ navigation system use data were coded from the video recordings, which showed how often and for how long the system was activated and how often and for how long a driver operated the system. Results: The system was activated for 23% of trips, predominantly on longer and unique trips. Analyses of the percentage of time for which the speed limit was exceeded showed no evidence of differences between trips for which the navigation system was used or not used. On trips for which the navigation system was activated, participants spent about 5% of trip time interacting with the device. About 40% of interacting behavior took place in the first 10% of the trip time, and about 35% took place while the car was standing still or moving at a very low speed; that is, 0–10 km/h. Conclusion: These results shed light on how and when drivers use navigation systems. They suggest that although drivers regulate their use of such systems to some extent, they often perform risky tasks while driving.

This paper discusses a naturalistic driving study on the usage of a mobile phone and navigation system while driving. Manual interactions with these devices while driving can cause distraction from the driving task and reduce traffic safety. In this study 21 subjects were observed for five weeks. Their behaviour was logged by four cameras, a GPS sensor and a number of additional sensors. Results are presented on the durations and frequencies of manual interactions with the mobile phone and navigation system. Different manual subtasks with different levels of visual interaction are discussed. The results show that participants spent on average 1% of their driving time interacting with the navigation system and 4% of their driving time interacting with the mobile phone. For the mobile phone 48% of the interactions took longer than 15 seconds, for the navigation system this was 40%. The results are discussed in relation to traffic safety and recommendations for future research.