Factor analysis of the decision to text while driving in Kuwait

• Published in: Annual IEEE Systems Conference pp. 1 - 8
• Main Author: Alzanki, Ahmed A.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.04.2018
• Subjects: Analytical models; Cellular phones; Confirmatory Factor Analysis; Driving distraction; Exploratory Factor Analysis; Mathematical models; Perceived risk; Roads; Structural Equation Modeling; Texting; Vehicles
• ISSN: 2472-9647
• DOI: 10.1109/SYSCON.2018.8369601

Texting while driving is one of the distracted driving activities that is common. Following a previous study that investigated the behavior of texting while driving of young adult drivers in the US [1], the current study investigates the decision to text while drive in Kuwait in order to determine generalizability to different subjects, age groups, locations, and cultures, and provide a comparison between the US and Kuwait samples. This study explores patterns of the behavior and driver assessment of the associated risk. The findings from the current study converge with and extend the work of Atchley et al. [1] showing (62.4%) of the 455 drivers surveyed initiate texts while driving while (73.4%) and (80.2%) of the respondents report replying to a text, and reading texts while driving, respectively. Some drivers report doing such behaviors only while stopping in traffic, showing only 7.5% never read a text while driving under any settings. The drivers also show that they perceived these behaviors to be risky in general and riskier than talking on a cellular phone while driving. Moreover, a factor analysis of the perception of road conditions while texting shows that making the decision to engage in the behavior (initiating a text) let the drivers to perceive road conditions as being less risky rather than if they read, or reply to a text while driving which advises that making the decision to engage in the behavior changes the risk perception.