Sullman, Mark J. M.2013-02-052013-02-052012-05-03Mark J. M. Sullman, An observational study of driver distraction in England, Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Volume 15, Issue 3, May 2012, Pages 272–278.1369-8478http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2012.01.001http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/7823This study set out to investigate the proportion of UK drivers who engage in some form of distracting behaviour whilst driving. Data were collected by roadside observation in six urban centres in the South of England. The observations took place on randomly selected roads at three different time periods during two consecutive Tuesdays. The data revealed that 14.4% of the 7168 drivers observed were found to be engaged in a distracting activity. The most frequently observed distraction was talking to a passenger, followed by smoking and using a mobile phone. Younger drivers were significantly more likely to be distracted in general and by talking to passengers, while older drivers were less likely to be distracted by adjusting controls or using a mobile phone.en-UKNOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, VOL 15, ISSUE 3, 2012, DOI:10.1016/j.trf.2012.01.001Driver distraction Distraction Cell phone Mobile phone Crash risk ObservationArticle