Drivers not paying attention \u2014 such as answering a phone call, a text message, or being distracted by a passenger \u2014 for any length of time are 29 times more likely to be involved in a collision or near-collision in a highway work zone, according to new research by the University of Missouri (MU).<\/p>\n
The results from the study could provide recommendations on \u201cbehavioral countermeasures\u201d to state transportation agencies and the Federal Highway Administration, which are implementing countermeasures to help decrease injuries and fatalities in highway work zones. They could also be used when developing new technology, such as driverless vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrior to our study, researchers analyzed data on work zone safety by looking at one checkbox among 70-80 different fields on a police officer\u2019s crash report to see if the crash occurred inside a work zone,\u201d said Praveen Edara, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the MU College of Engineering. \u201cUnfortunately, crash reports do not include detailed information about driver behavior prior to a crash. What\u2019s unique about our research project is that we used naturalistic driving study data that provides information about how driver, vehicle, roadway and environmental factors contribute to a crash. In other words, we reconstructed a driver\u2019s actions and the surrounding environment prior to the crash from a firsthand account.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study used data from the Transportation Research Board\u2019s second Strategic Highway Research Program\u2019s Naturalistic Driving Study<\/a>. During 2006 \u2013 2015, researchers collected data from more than 3,000 drivers traveling more than 50 million miles. With this information, researchers were able to see a detailed firsthand account of a driver\u2019s interaction with the vehicle, roadway and surrounding environment.<\/p>\n