Texting and Driving: Investigating the perceived severity, seriousness, and threat associated with distracted driving among young adults

Background: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers in their 20s make up 27% of the distracted drivers in fatal crashes. Since text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention, it is by far one of the more alarming distractions especially among motor vehicle drivers. The purpose of this research project was to investigate the beliefs and behaviors related to driving while distracted among undergraduate college students, between the ages of 18-25 years.

Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design and data was collected using a group administered paper and pencil questionnaire at four public universities in Indiana. The study consisted of 1,000 college students between the ages of 18-27 years old.

Results: This study measured perceived susceptibility to motor vehicle injuries and perceived severity of distracted driving. While over 50% of participants indicated that they believed texting while driving was dangerous, 93% of these participants indicated they still text while driving. The results revealed that age and gender were associated with distracted driving, with younger females being at the highest risk for distracted driving.

Conclusions: By understanding the norms and beliefs that undergraduate college students have towards distracted driving, health educators will be able to create appropriate and effective health promotion and health education materials and resources.