Thursday, July 02, 2009
VTTI releases data on CMV driver distraction
Findings from an 18-month naturalistic study on commercial motor vehicle drivers show distraction was a factor in 78 percent of crashes and 65 percent of all near crashes.
During the study period, researchers from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in Blacksburg, VA, observed 100 CMV drivers who drove a total of 735,000 miles. According to a presentation (.pdf file) of the study released in early June, drivers were 2.9 times more likely to be involved in a safety-critical event when taking their eyes off the forward roadway for longer than two seconds. Texting, cleaning a side mirror, reaching for objects and interacting with the dispatch device had the highest risk.
Study results showed a total of 4,452 safety-critical events, including:
- 21 crashes and 197 near crashes
- 3,019 crash-relevant conflicts
- 1,215 unintentional lane deviations
VTTI researchers recommended no texting, manual dialing of cell phones or use of dispatching device while driving; and redesign of devices and instrument panels, among other recommendations.