“The Effect of Cellular Phone Use upon Driver Attention”, A. James McKnight, A. Scott McKnight1993-06 (psychology; backlinks)⁠:

In this study, n = 150 subjects observed a 25-minute video driving sequence containing 45 highway traffic situations to which they were expected to respond by manipulation of simulated vehicle controls. Each situation occurred under 5 conditions of distraction: placing a cellular phone call, carrying on a casual cellular phone conversation, carrying on an intense cellular phone conversation, tuning a radio, and no distraction.

All distractions led to statistically-significant increases in the proportion of situations to which subjects failed to respond. However, statistically-significant age differences of nonresponse appeared. Among subjects over age 50, non-responses increased by about 1⁄3^rd under all telephone distractions. The response rate of younger subjects increased by a lesser degree except under intense conversation. Results were not influenced by gender or prior experience with cellular phones.

The authors conclude that older drivers might reduce their accident risk during attention-demanding traffic conditions by avoiding use of cellular phones and that other drivers might do so by refraining from calls involving intense conversation.

See Also:

• Can behavioral interventions be too salient? Evidence from traffic safety messages

• Waymo Simulated Driving Behavior in Reconstructed Fatal Crashes within an Autonomous Vehicle Operating Domain

• Listening to Misinformation while Driving: Cognitive Load and the Effectiveness of (Repeated) Corrections

• Does the mere presence of a smartphone impact cognitive performance? A meta-analysis of the ‘brain drain effect’

• The impact of banning mobile phones in Swedish secondary schools

• Fast response times signal social connection in conversation

• When More Is Less: Field Evidence on Unintended Consequences of Multitasking

• Distraction Effects of Background Soap Operas on Homework Performance: An experimental study enriched with observational data

• The effect of background music and background noise on the task performance of introverts and extraverts

• An examination of an enhancing effect of music on attentional abilities in older persons with mild cognitive impairment

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