Road type influences our likelihood of texting. Drivers are less likely to read a text in “stop-and-go” city traffic, where it’s riskier to take your eyes off the road, compared to rural/highway driving.Other research confirms this view, finding that social distance determines texting-while-driving behaviors, in that we are more likely to reply to those to whom we are socially close. Participants were most likely to reply if the message was from a significant other. It matters whom they’re texting. In an experiment with choice sets, the most vital determinant of replying to a text was who sent the message.
Distance is a critical determinant. When analyzing students in a hypothetical driving scenario, the researchers were able to show that the farther away the destination was, the lower the likelihood that participants would wait to reply to a text message. Impulsivity largely explains texting and driving behaviors. Those who admitted to texting while driving discounted future monetary rewards at a greater rate in experimental settings. 11Ī group of researchers from Penn State University aimed to see if they could use other economic concepts to describe distracted driving behavior, with interesting takeaways: In fact, we assign significantly greater weight to moments that are temporally close to us than any reasonable discount rate can explain. 10 We make time-inconsistent choices for the present moment that our future selves may not appreciate. 6,8,9Įssentially, we overweight the present and underweight the future. Yet, when asked to choose between a dollar today or three dollars a year from now, we are likely to choose the former, even though this decision is (from an economics perspective) irrational. 7 Choosing between receiving a dollar today or three dollars tomorrow is an easy decision. Present bias leads us to engage in what economists refer to as “ hyperbolic discounting,” which describes how we favor immediate payoffs over future ones. Present bias takes many forms and explains choices related to drug use, overeating, smoking, and neglect for public health guidelines. Present bias, the overemphasis of the present moment with neglect for future consequences, goes a long way in explaining why we reach for our phones while behind the wheel. The field offers several tools to explain distracted driving behavior and insights for solving the distracted driving problem. Behavioral economics aims to study these seemingly irrational behaviors in various contexts. While we generally intend to “do the right thing,” we often neglect to do so in the moment. 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. 5Ĭlearly, there is a suspension of concern and consideration for ourselves (and others) when we receive a text message on the road. Similar attitudes are held towards speeding: most people agree that speeding is unacceptable, yet admit to doing so themselves. COGNITIVE DEMAND OF UNDISTRACTED HIGHWAY DRIVING DRIVERS
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. 4 Despite this sentiment, distracted driving behaviors remain common. We’ve long known about the dangers of distracted driving, and the majority of individuals support laws against this behavior.
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