Determining driver perceptions about distractions and modeling their effects on driving behavior at different age groups

This study was aimed at determining the driving distractions which are perceived most hazardous and determining the effects of these distractions and age on speed and headway. A questionnaire survey was done to find out the opinion of drivers related to the most hazardous distraction. 639 responses were collected in the survey which were used to determine the top-rated distractions for drivers in Bahrain. Roadside observations were taken to observe the speed, headway, age and type of distraction for the driver. Speed was observed for 48 drivers while headway was observed for 36 drivers along with other parameters. The most hazardous distractions, according to the participants of the questionnaire, are using mobile phones, handling children, and accidents or incidents on the road. Further, the results of the two-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) test and regression analysis demonstrated that using mobile phones and age have a significant effect on both speed and headway. Speed tends to decrease with distraction for all age groups while decreasing the headway for young and middle-aged drivers. The effect of distraction is higher than the effect of age on speed, as well as headway. Texting has the most significant effect among distractions on headway. It is hereby recommended that policymakers should focus on increasing awareness and stringent law enforcement related to handling mobile phones and children, especially for young and middle-aged drivers.