Investigating the Causes of Driver Distraction in Urban Roads

The human factor has always been one of the most important causes of traffic accidents, and the most important reason for a driver to be at fault when an accident occurs is his distraction. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the amount of distraction of passenger car drivers on the streets of Tehran and the most important causes of their distraction. The current research is of field type with descriptive and survey data analysis method. For this purpose, data collection was done in two ways, including field observations and surveys in 12 different intersections of Tehran city, including 4 highways, 4 main streets, and 4 secondary intersections.Field observations of a total of 4,800 drivers passing through these roads showed that the amount of distraction of the drivers is higher on the secondary roads than on the main roads and on the main roads than on the highways. Also, no significant difference was observed in the amount of distraction of men compared to women. In the investigation of the most important causes of distraction after field observations and also a survey of 240 drivers, agents talking on a mobile phone or being busy with it to send text messages, dialing, etc., paying attention to billboards, people and shops around the roads and talking to passengers They were recognized as the most important distraction factors for drivers in Tehran.