Effectiveness of Distracted Driving Countermeasures - Research Brief - Driving Countermeasures: A Review of the Literature

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by William

Effectiveness of Distracted Driving Countermeasures: A Review of the Literature synthesizes scientific evidence on how existing and emerging interventions reduce distracted driving and crash risk. Using a April 2019 search across PubMed and multiple psychology and transport databases, the brief applies inclusion criteria focused on countermeasure effectiveness measured through crash data, observed or self-reported behavior change, intentions, risk perceptions, driving performance, and eye-glance behavior. Excluding opinion-only and review/dissertation sources, 102 studies were summarized, with results organized by educational/behavioral, legislative, enforcement, and technology countermeasure types.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Method

Search strategy and databases

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Results

Educational and/or behavioral countermeasures

Legislative countermeasures

Enforcement countermeasures

Technology countermeasures

Effectiveness of Distracted RESEARCH BRIEF Driving Countermeasures: A Review of the Literature November 2019 According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,166 people were killed in 2017 in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in which one or more drivers was reported as distracted (National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 2019) . On a recent nationally-representative survey, 52% of respondents reported talking on a handheld cellphone while driving in the past 30 days, while 41% reported reading texts or emails and 32% reported typing texts or emails while driving (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2019) . While it is generally acknowledged that distracted driving is underreported, it is clear that drivers on the road are engaging in non-driving related tasks. It is well-established that distracted driving interferes with safe driving and increases crash risk, though estimates of risk vary by specific behavior and context. Given the limited resources available for improving traffic safety, it is important to understand the effectiveness of various countermeasures against distracted driving that may be considered for implementation. The objective of this research brief is to review the current scientific evidence concerning the effectiveness of existing and emerging countermeasures against distracted driving. METHOD A search was conducted in April 2019 using the PubMed, Transport Research International Documentation (TRID), PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and PsycEXTRA databases for relevant scientific literature. The search targeted papers that combined key words related to (1) transportation modes (i.e., driving, walking, bicycling, motorcycling) and (2) distraction (both generally and including specific distracting behaviors) . Articles were required to be written in English and to have been published between 2010 and 2019 — in order to better reflect current practices, conditions, available technology, and behavior. The initial search yielded 15,000 articles. All titles and abstracts were reviewed for inclusion by four independent reviewers, based on the following criteria: Inclusion criteria: ■ Article addresses the effectiveness of one or more countermeasures specifically targeting distracted driving, as measured using crash data, observed behavior and/or behavior change, self-reported behavior and/or behavior change, behavioral intentions, risk perceptions, driving performance, eye glance behavior, awareness, and/or knowledge; ■ Sourced from peer-reviewed journal articles, conference abstracts and proceedings, or reports from organizations such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Exclusion criteria: ■ Article addresses the effectiveness of one or more countermeasures to distracted driving, but only in terms of one more of the following: expert opinion, levels of acceptance, cost-effectiveness, technical performance, impact on work productivity, usage, exposure, etc.; ■ Sourced from dissertations, news articles, trade magazines, or book reviews; ■ Summary reports, for which the full report is also included in the results; ■ Review articles, which were scanned for relevant references, which were then added to the results. Inter-rater agreement on article inclusion among a subset used for training ranged from 97-99% . Title and abstract review reduced the number of potentially relevant papers to 205. The vast majority of studies omitted were not directly relevant to countermeasure effectiveness. Research Brief Effectiveness of Distracted Driving Countermeasures: A Review of the Literature For the final set of articles, key information was distilled and summarized in a table using the abstract and/or full article as necessary (see associated file: Distracted Driving Countermeasure Effectiveness Summary Table) . The information entered into the table included the countermeasure type(s), a descriptio

FAQs

What is the purpose of this research brief on distracted driving countermeasures?

To review current scientific evidence on the effectiveness of existing and emerging countermeasures against distracted driving for potential implementation.

How were studies selected for inclusion in the review?

The brief searched multiple databases and included articles that assessed countermeasure effectiveness using measures such as crash data, observed behavior change, self-reports, intentions, risk perceptions, driving performance, and eye-glance behavior.

What types of countermeasures are covered in the results?

Results are summarized by countermeasure type, including educational and/or behavioral, legislative, enforcement, and technology interventions.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by William