Abstract
Motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are the leading cause of injury and death among adolescents and young adults (National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 2019). Driving while distracted, such as using a cell phone, increases the likelihood of a MVC (National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 2019). People who physically interact with a cell phone while driving (e.g., engaging in a phone conversation, typing out a text message) can adequately sample the surrounding environment, but they are unable to direct and maintain sufficient visual attention to potentially hazardous events (Balk, Moore, Spearman, Steele, & Duckowski, 2006). As a result, engaging in a phone conversation or typing out a text message leads to poor driving performance (Caird, Johnston, Willness, Asbridge, & Steel, 2014; Caird, Simmons, Wiley, Johnston, & Horrey, 2018). But how do cell phones affect eye behavior and driving performance when the driver is not physically interacting with the phone, such as while it is ringing? In an ecologically valid driving simulation, young drivers proceeded through an intersection with and without the presence of a visible ringing cell phone. The median number of glances taken away from the forward roadway in the presence of a ringing cell phone was greater than in the absence of a ringing cell phone. Participants also took longer to drive through the intersection in the presence of a ringing cell phone. We further examined participants’ longest glance away from the forward roadway (LGOR), the moderating role of executive function capacity on LGOR, and speed variables. Altogether, our results suggest that even in the absence of physical interaction, cell phones can encourage visual inattention away from the forward roadway which can lead to poor driving performance.