Mobile device use while driving--United States and seven European countries, 2011

Abstract

Road traffic crashes are a global public health problem, contributing to an estimated 1.3 million deaths annually. Known risk factors for road traffic crashes and related injuries and deaths include speed, alcohol, nonuse of restraints, and nonuse of helmets. More recently, driver distraction has become an emerging concern. To assess the prevalence of mobile device use while driving in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States, CDC analyzed data from the 2011 EuroPNStyles and HealthStyles surveys. Prevalence estimates for self-reported talking on a cell phone while driving and reading or sending text or e-mail messages while driving were calculated. This report describes the results of that analysis, which indicated that, among drivers ages 18-64 years, the prevalence of talking on a cell phone while driving at least once in the past 30 days ranged from 21% in the UK to 69% in the United States, and the prevalence of drivers who had read or sent text or e-mail messages while driving at least once in the past 30 days ranged from 15% in Spain to 31% in Portugal and the United States. Lessons learned from successful road safety efforts aimed at reducing other risky driving behaviors, such as seat belt nonuse and alcohol-impaired driving, could be helpful to the United States and other countries in addressing this issue. Strategies such as legislation combined with high-visibility enforcement and public education campaigns deserve further research to determine their effectiveness in reducing mobile device use while driving. Additionally, the role of emerging vehicle and mobile communication technologies in reducing distracted driving-related crashes should be explored.

FIGURE 1

Weighted percentage of adults aged 18–64 years who reported that they had talked on their cell phone while driving regularly or fairly often, at least once, or never in the past 30 days,^* by country — HealthStyles and EuroPNStyles, 2011 ^*Respondents were asked, “In the past 30 days, how often have you talked on your cell phone while you were driving?” Response choices were “never,” “just once,” “rarely,” “fairly often,” and “regularly.” Percentages of those who engaged “at least once” were defined as those who responded “just once,” “rarely,” “fairly often,” or “regularly.” Percentages of those who responded “regularly” or “fairly often” are shown as a subset of “at least once.”

FIGURE 2

Weighted percentage of adults aged 18–64 years who reported that they had read or sent text or e-mail messages while driving regularly or fairly often, at least once, or never in the past 30 days,^* by country, HealthStyles and EuroPNStyles, 2011 ^* Respondents were asked, “In the past 30 days, how often have you read or sent a text message or e-mail while you were driving?” Response choices were “never,” “just once,” “rarely,” “fairly often,” and “regularly.” Percentages of those who engaged “at least once” were defined as those who responded “just once,” “rarely,” “fairly often,” or “regularly.” Percentages of those who responded “regularly” or “fairly often” are shown as a subset of “at least once.”

FIGURE 3

Weighted percentage of adults aged 18–64 years who reported that they had talked on their cell phone while driving at least once and read or sent text or e-mail messages while driving at least once in the past 30 days,^* by sex and age group — United States, HealthStyles, 2011 ^* Respondents were asked, “In the past 30 days, how often have you talked on your cell phone while you were driving?” and “In the past 30 days, how often have you read or sent a text message or e-mail while you were driving?” Response choices were “never,” “just once,” “rarely,” “fairly often,” and “regularly.” Percentages of those who engaged “at least once” were defined as those who responded “just once,” “rarely,” “fairly often,” or “regularly.”