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The Behavioral Economics of Distracted Driving

Author headshotKaylee Somerville
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0 min read

Jun 04, 2021

As we continue to navigate the benefits of increased technology, we must also consider the costs: the increased risk to our safety on the roads. Distracted driving, predominantly due to cellphone use while driving, is the leading cause of fatalities on the road.1 A driver using their phone is five times more likely to crash than undistracted drivers. For comparison, this is even greater than the risk of crashing when driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08.2,3

These numbers aren’t surprising or new. We’ve long known about the dangers of distracted driving, and the majority of individuals support laws against this behavior.4 Despite this sentiment, distracted driving behaviors remain common. 91% of young drivers (aged 15–19) reported texting while driving, and 40% of these texters even admitted to doing more complex tasks (like having texting arguments or sexting) while driving.

This dissonance isn’t unique to texting. Similar attitudes are held towards speeding: most people agree that speeding is unacceptable, yet admit to doing so themselves.5

Clearly, there is a suspension of concern and consideration for ourselves (and others) when we receive a text message on the road. Most people may tend to believe that distracted driving is an issue of morality (in that only bad people do it), but in fact, it is more likely a problem of cognitive bias than of values and morals. While we generally intend to “do the right thing,” we often neglect to do so in the moment. Behavioral economics aims to study these seemingly irrational behaviors in various contexts. The field offers several tools to explain distracted driving behavior and insights for solving the distracted driving problem.

References

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  2. Role of mobile phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance: A case-crossover study. (2005, August 18). The BMJ. https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7514/428
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  4. Pope, C. N., Mirman, J. H., & Stavrinos, D. (2019). Adolescents’ perspectives on distracted driving legislation. Journal of safety research, 68, 173-179.
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  17. Hayashi, Y., Friedel, J. E., Foreman, A. M., & Wirth, O. (2019). A behavioral economic analysis of demand for texting while driving. The Psychological Record, 69(2), 225-237.
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About the Author

A young woman with long, wavy hair sits on a bench, smiling. She wears a blue top and a dark jacket. The grassy courtyard and a brick building with windows and greenery are in the background.

Kaylee Somerville

Staff Writer

Kaylee is a research and teaching assistant at the University of Calgary in the areas of finance, entrepreneurship, and workplace harassment. Holding international experience in events, marketing, and consulting, Kaylee hopes to use behavioral research to help individuals at work. She is particularly interested in the topics of gender, leadership, and productivity. Kaylee completed her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary.

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