Analysis of the distraction impact on driving performance across driving styles: A driving simulator study in various speed conditions

Distracted driving is a mounting global issue, prompting numerous naturalistic and simulator-based investigations. This study investigates the impact of hands-free (HF) conversation and texting distractions on driving performance during car-following experiments. Three experiments were designed: a baseline (control) condition, HF conversation, and text messaging. Driving data were collected from 40 participants of driving simulator experiments, conducted under six different speed conditions: (i) free-flow, (ii) coherent moving flow, (iii) synchronized flow, (iv) jam density, (v) recovery from jam density, and (vi) collision avoidance. To analyze driving performance across various mobile phone distracted driving (MPDD) experiments, participants are partitioned into three distinct groups: aggressive, moderate, and conservative, based on their driving styles using k-means clustering. Statistical analyses, including t-tests, Friedman Test, and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, were conducted to evaluate driving performance metrics such as Standard Deviation of Lateral Position (SDLP) across conditions (i)-(iv), Acceleration Reaction Time (ART) in condition (v), and Time to Initial Braking Location (TIBL) in condition (vi). The findings indicated that HF conversation had no effect on SDLP in the free-flow condition. However, it led to a reduction in SDLP for the conservative group in the coherent moving flow condition, for both moderate and conservative groups in the synchronized flow condition, and for the moderate group in the jam density condition. Additionally, HF conversation was associated with a decrease in ART among conservative participants, while it significantly increased TIBL for both moderate and conservative groups. Conversely, texting led to an increase in SDLP for moderate and conservative participants in the free-flow condition and for the moderate group in the coherent moving flow condition. However, it resulted in a reduction in SDLP for the conservative group in the coherent moving flow condition. Texting had no significant effect on SDLP in the jam density condition or on ART. However, it significantly increased TIBL among moderate and conservative participants. These findings can inform legislation, policy development, countermeasures, and future research.