Driver distraction Australia

Yormg, K. and Regan, M. A. (2006), Driver Distraction Review of the Literature and Suggestiorrs for Countermeasure Development, The Proceedings of the Swinburne University Multi-Modal Symposium on Safety Management and Human Factors, 9-10 February 2006, Melbourne Australia. (In Press). 

Yormg, K. andRegarr, M.A. andHarrrmer, M., (2003), Driver Distraction A Review of the Literature , Morrash Urriversity Acciderrt Research Cerrtre. Report 206. Melbourne, Australia. 

There is converging evidence that driver distraction is a significant road safety issue and as more commrmication, entertaimnent and driver assistance systems proliferate the vehicle market, the incidence of distraction-related crashes is expected to escalate. In North America, Ettrope and Japan, driver distraction is a priority issue in road safety. However, the significance of driver distraction as road safety issue has only recently been recognized in Australia. 

This chapter outlines recent and emerging developments in vehicle technologies and their potential impact on driving performance. It also discusses what is crrrrently being done to manage driver distraction in Australia and describes various cormtermeasrrres that cotrld be adopted to limit its impact on driver safety. 

There is a lot that can be done to prevent driver distraction from becoming a major road safety problem in Australia. 

Gordon, C. (2005), A Preliminary Examination of Driver Distraction Related Crashes in New Zealand, in eds Faulkes, I. J., Regan, M. A., Brown, J., Stevenson, M. R. and Porter, A., Driver Distraction Proceedings of an International Conference on Distracted Driving, Sydney, Australia , 2-3 June. Canberra, ACT Australasian... 

The current lack of crash data in Australia is preventing an accurate assessment of the number of people being killed and injured in distraction-related crashes. Police report forms, therefore, need to be amended to record data about distracting activities. Many new vehicles are equipped with event data recorders that could also be used to automatically record information about the use of telematics systems (e.g., what controls were being operated just before a crash). This would help to clarify the role of these devices in crashes. In the meantime, regular exposure surveys need to be developed, administered and analysed to determine what, when, where, why, and how drivers engage in distracting activities. 

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