Utilizing the Social Norms Theory for Mitigating Teen Driver Distraction

Driver distraction contributes significantly to teensâ crash risks. Parents and peers are important social referents for teens, that significantly influence their driving behaviours, including distracted driving. There has been a growing interest in using interventions based on the Social Norms Theory to change negative behaviours. According to this theory, individuals choose to engage in a particular behaviour based on their perceptions of othersâ behaviour/approval. The overestimation of the prevalence/permissiveness of negative behaviours is common and can lead to increased engagement in those behaviours. Social norms interventions aim to correct these overestimations and thereby reduce negative behaviours by providing accurate normative information. These interventions have been successfully applied in various domains; however, they are yet to be explored for teen driver distraction. This dissertation addresses this gap by investigating the social norms underlying teen distracted driving and the efficacy of social norms interventions to mitigate teen driver distractions. The role of social norms in teen driver distraction engagement and the existence of normative misperceptions among teens were examined through a survey study. In addition, two driving simulator experiments investigated the effectiveness of social norms interventions incorporating parental and peer norms. The survey study revealed that teens may hold misperceptions for driver distraction, and that teen perceptions of parent and peer norms are predictive of their self-reported distraction engagement. These findings support the evaluation of social norms interventions to correct misperceived norms to mitigate distractions. The driving simulator experiments showed that social norms interventions based on parent and peer (both same- and opposite-gender) norms are promising for mitigating teen distractions. Both interventions reduced distraction engagement and improved driving performance, and were well accepted by teens. Overall, this dissertation contributes to the body of literature on distraction-related norms among teen drivers and the application of social norms interventions for mitigating teen driver distractions.

Department dc:contributor.department

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Merrikhpour, Maryam

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Donmez, Birsen

• Distracted driving
• Driver feedback
• Driving simulator
• Social norms
• Teen drivers

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1807/80932

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utoronto.scholaris.ca:1807/80932