Published Paper Details:

New innovations are rapidly bringing more and more embedded and portable devices into vehicles. Although these technologies have many benefits, they can also be a source of significant distraction to the driver. For instance, using a mobile phone while driving significantly increases the risk of having an accident. Therefore, in order to develop a risk management plan to reduce the risk of using mobile phones while driving, it is important to understand the risk perception of drivers regarding mobile phone use while driving. Such an understanding will improve communication between decision-makers and drivers so as to develop a better risk management plan. The primary objective of this study is to identify how drivers perceive the risk of different driving distractions. A random sampling method was used and the sample of the study consisted of 422 participants who included students, administrative staff and teaching faculties from the University of Madras, Chennai. The results of the study indicated that checking social media, reading, writing, taking photos and searching for music via their mobile phones were perceived as being the most risky of the driving distraction activities. Applying principle component factor analysis, the results showed two factors explaining 92% of the variance. Factor 1 was labelled as ‘fairness’; it explained 70% 3 of the variance and it was associated with control, fairness, severity, mental concentration and legality. In addition, ‘fairness’ was found to be inversely associated with knowledge and voluntariness.