Life and Death in the Fast Lane

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective is to determine how distractions while driving, including texting, cell phone use, and eating and drinking, increase the likelihood of both fatal and non-fatal accidents on the road. I believe that the most distractive activities, such as texting, will increase the percentage of fatal accidents. Methods/Materials Using a simulated driving game at a local arcade, I chose a common course and car type for eight participants in my study. I had each subject race the course five times, twice without distractions, and three more while texting a specific script, talking on the phone and while eating and drinking. Two judges compiled the number of what they believed to be fatal and non-fatal accidents. These numbers were averaged in both categories to calculate the driver's performance over the entire course. Results Texting while driving caused the most fatal accidents, while eating and drinking caused the most non-fatal accidents. Interestingly, the average increase in dangers from distractive driving in my study closely mirror the U.S. government#s own studies. Conclusions/Discussion My conclusion is that the type of distraction while driving influences the severity of the accident, but all distractions behind the wheel can affect the ability of the driver to safely navigate roads.

Competition history

• CSEF 2011 Behavioral & Social Sciences · Entry J0404

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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