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CTS researchers performed an analysis of crash data in CRIS to determine drivers who were involved in alcohol-related crashes across all 254 counties in Texas. The data were used to identify which medical examiners and/or county coroners/justices of the peace are responsible for reporting blood alcohol concentration (BAC) results to TxDOT crash records. Researchers developed a process flow for the BAC-reporting responsibilities of medical examiners and justices of the peace who act as coroners, identified how each county handles toxicology testing related to crashes believed to be alcohol or drug related, and increased BAC reporting by medical examiners and justices of the peace acting as coroners.

Vehicle crash records are routinely contained in multiple databases managed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), including the Crash Records Information System, the Texas Reference Marker, the Roadway/Highway Network Inventory and the Texas Pavement Management Information System. CTS staff have provided statistical analysis to assist in correlating these resources, along with federal crash statistics, making it possible to produce more accurate and meaningful reports, and thereby better understand the state’s traffic safety challenges.

Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation

This campaign was launched to increase the public’s awareness on the actions to take when they suspect that they have encountered an impaired driver. The project uses several forms of educational materials such as brochures, posters, and a video public service announcement to inform citizens about how to recognize impaired driving, make the call to 9-1-1 and report the incident. The project is being piloted in the community of Deer Park, Texas in an effort to solicit responses and reactions to such a campaign and evaluate its effectiveness, and then refine the program with the intention of implementing it in other areas of Texas.

Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation

This project employs a community based approach to address underage drinking through team assessment in the community and localized strategic planning. The approach was originally developed as a rapid response approach so that states and local communities could deploy a team to address the underage drinking problem in the wake of a specific incident. This project trained a group of professionals in the areas of education, enforcement, prevention and public policy to assess a community based on its underage drinking and driving issues. An assessment team worked with coalitions in Austin, San Antonio and El Paso to review current community practices and work with local participants to develop a strategic and operational plan to address the problem.

Sponsor: Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County

This study sought to determine if drivers noticed and understood the intended meanings of three new types of pavement markings used along the Bellaire Quickline bus route in Houston operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO). CTS researchers surveyed a sample of drivers in the Texas Medical Center area by showing pictures of the three different pavement markings currently being used along the bus routes and asking follow-up questions. The study determined that none of the three types of pavement markings caused any unintended impacts. The results of this project will assist METRO officials with future design and utilization of these types of markings for its bus routes.

Sponsor: Center for Transportation Safety

The number of drivers involved in nighttime fatal crashes nationwide has increased over the past decade, even as crash fatalities overall have declined during the same period. While the number has been climbing for drivers of all ages, the increase has been sharper for teenage drivers than for those age 20 and older. Findings from this study — the first of its kind in the U.S. — suggest that the increase for older drivers is linked to increased alcohol involvement in crashes. For teen drivers, however, alcohol use has declined slightly, suggesting that the increased nighttime danger for young drivers is connected to rapid growth in cell phone use behind the wheel. Study findings demonstrated that, while cell phone use and nighttime conditions each present dangers for drivers, the combination of the two can create the potential for a “perfect storm.”

Sponsor: Texas Department of Transportation

CTS researchers were responsible for communicating with metropolitan planning organizations, councils of governments, regional planning councils, Texas police chiefs, sheriffs and emergency medical associations to present information on strategic highway safety plan activities at meetings across the state. CTS staff participated as active stakeholders at these meetings, promoting traffic safety and sharing information to generate public input concerning safety plan initiatives throughout the state. Using crash analysis and roadway data, researchers were able to provide insight into where, when, why and how crashes are occurring on Texas roadways. These efforts led to the production of a revised Strategic Highway Safety Plan for consideration by TxDOT.

For more information:                   Bernie Fette, 979-845-2623 (office) or 979-777-7532 (cell)

Researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute have determined that a driver’s reaction time is doubled when distracted by reading or sending a text message. The study reveals how the texting impairment is even greater than many experts believed, and demonstrates how texting drivers are less able to react to sudden roadway hazards.

The study – the first published work in the U.S. to examine texting while driving in an actual driving environment – consisted of three major steps. First, participants typed a story of their choice (usually a simple fairy tale) and also read and answered questions related to another story, both on their smart phone in a laboratory setting. Each participant then navigated a test-track course involving both an open section and a section lined by construction barrels. Drivers first drove the course without texting, then repeated both lab tasks separately while driving through the course again. Throughout the test-track exercise, each participant’s reaction time to a periodic flashing light was recorded.

Reaction times with no texting activity were typically between one and two seconds. Reaction times while texting, however, were at least three to four seconds. Worse yet, drivers were more than 11 times more likely to miss the flashing light altogether when they were texting. The researchers say that the study findings extend to other driving distractions that involve reading or writing, such as checking e-mail or Facebook.

The study, sponsored by the Southwest Region University Transportation Center, was managed by Christine Yager, an associate transportation researcher in TTI’s Center for Transportation Safety. 42 drivers between the ages of 16 and 54 participated in the research.

In addition to the reaction-time element, researchers also measured each driver’s ability to maintain proper lane position and a constant speed. Major findings further documented the impairment of texting when compared to the controlled driving conditions. Drivers were less able to:

• safely maintain their position in the driving lane when they were texting and their swerving was worse in the open sections of the course than in barreled sections.
• maintain a constant speed while texting, tending to slow down in an effort to reduce the demand of the multiple tasks. By slowing down, a driver gains more time to correct for driving errors (such as the tendency to swerve while texting). Speed variance was also greater for texting drivers than for non-texting drivers.

The fact that the study was conducted in an actual driving environment is important, the researchers say. While simulators are useful, the dynamics of an actual vehicle are different, and some driver cues can’t be replicated in a simulator. By using a closed course, researchers can create an environment similar to real-world driving conditions while providing a high degree of safety for the participants.

“Most research on texting and driving has been limited to driving simulators. This study involved participants driving an actual vehicle, “Yager says. “So one of the more important things we know now that we didn’t know before is that response times are even slower than we previously thought.”

The total distance covered by each driver in the study was slightly less than 11 miles. In the interest of safety for both participants and the research staff, researchers minimized the complexity of the driving task, using a straight-line course that contained no hills, traffic or potential conflicts other than the construction zone barrels. Consequently, the driving demands that participants encountered were considerably lower than those they would encounter under real-world conditions.

“It is frightening,” the researchers wrote, “to think of how much more poorly our participants may have performed if the driving conditions were more consistent with routine driving.”

Federal statistics suggest that distracted driving contributes to as much as 20 percent of all fatal crashes, and that cell phones constitute the primary source of driver distraction. Researchers point to two numbers to illustrate the magnitude of the texting while driving problem: an estimated 5 billion text messages are sent each day in the United States, and at least 20 percent of all drivers have admitted to texting while driving.

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute, headquartered in College Station, Texas, is an agency of The Texas A&M University System.

Read the full study.