Organisation: Scottish Executive (Transport Planning Research Group)
Date uploaded: 22nd September 2010
Date published/launched: Pre 2009
This report presents the findings of a literature review of all available literature published in English since 1945 on the subject of external-to-vehicle driver distraction.
The research consisted of three main elements.
First, a general review of the literature pertaining to driver distraction.
Second, a review of literature specifically concentrating on external-to-vehicle distraction.
And finally, a review of literature pertaining to billboards and signs as an external distracter, in an attempt to discover whether there is evidence that billboards and signs are a contributory factor to road accidents.
This is a literature review of all available literature (that was procurable within the available time period) published in English in refereed academic journals between 1945 and the present.
There were three levels of analysis.
Firstly, research was carried out on the subject of driver distraction in general, considering statistical studies, experimental studies, qualitative studies and laboratory studies. This was not intended to be exhaustive but was merely an attempt to provide a broad overview of the subject.
Secondly, research was carried out on the subject of internal-to-vehicle driver distraction and its relation to external-to-vehicle driver distraction. The purpose of this was to discover the ratio of driver distraction: that is, whether external-to-vehicle driver distraction or internal-to-vehicle driver distraction posed the greater threat to road safety.
Finally a literature review was carried out specifically on the effects of billboards and signs as a distracter to drivers. It should be noted that this aspect of the research was intended to be exhaustive, in that an attempt was made to identify all the research pertaining to this subject.
Research that was not included in this report was either unobtainable, or else could not be obtained within the requisite time period.
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