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Drivers’ Behavior Through a Yellow Light: Effects of Distraction and Age
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Drivers’ Behavior Through a Yellow Light: Effects of Distraction and Age

Amanda D. Ohlhauser, Linda Ng Boyle, Dawn Marshall and Omar Ahmad
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Vol.55(1), pp.1919-1923
09/2011
DOI: 10.1177/1071181311551399
url
https://doi.org/10.1177/1071181311551399View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The decision to proceed through an intersection once the traffic signal has changed to yellow may increase the risk for a collision. This study sought to understand how age differences, cell phone use, and time to the stop line affected the likelihood that a driver would continue through a yellow light as observed in a driving simulator study. Four age groups were examined; novice (16 years), younger (18-25 years), middle (30-45 years) and older (50-60 years). The novice drivers were also between four to eight weeks of licensure. The likelihood that a driver would either drive through a yellow phase or stop was examined using a logistic regression model. A significant interaction effect between age groups and cell phone use was observed. More specifically, novice drivers talking on a handheld phone were significantly more likely than middle-aged drivers to proceed through the intersection. This study examines the safety consequences that may result for these novice drivers as they engage in distracting tasks.

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