Calling While Driving: Effects of Providing Remote Traffic Context

Cell phone conversations distract drivers. This research explores the possibility of reducing distracting by providing callers with remote information about the driver’s traffic. We asked whether providing such contextual information would change the caller’s conversation such that drivers would be less distracted. In Experiment 1 we examined this question in a low-fidelity driving simulator; in Experiment 2 we examined this question in a higher fidelity simulator. In both experiments, remote callers and passengers were distracting. Providing traffic information to the remote caller significantly reduced crashes in the low fidelity tests and significantly reduced passing in the high fidelity tests, compared with the control conditions. We consider the implications for development of remote displays or signals to promote driving safety.