Steer Clear From Distracted Driving

Overview

The effects of short message service (SMS) messaging on driving ability were investigated. In this project, a virtual driving simulator was built and participants were challenged to race while simultaneously sending and receiving SMS messages at even intervals of increasing complexity. Driving ability was evaluated with respect to race time, crash frequency, and off-road frequency. Results indicated that text messaging while driving negatively affects driving ability. As the messages became more complex, drivers experienced increased frequency of crash events and went off the road more frequently. This project is important because according to background research, distraction is a significant contributor to fatal car collisions in Canada.

Awards (1)

• Selected for CWSF 2026

Competition history

• CWSF 2026 Curiosity & Ingenuity

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.