| Abstract: | Distracted driving increases the crash frequencies in the road and subsequently leads to fatalities involved with crashes. As stated on the NHTSA website, a total of 2,841 people were killed in crashes on U.S. roads in 2018 involving a distracted driver. Now that drivers are exposed to more technology in their vehicles and applications on their phones, technology represents one of the main secondary tasks that distract the drivers. The level of disruption from distractive behaviors can be different for groups of drivers. Young drivers may be more distracted through their smartphones but still able to multitask and maintain safe driving due to their shorter reaction times. In addition, the impact of distraction appears to be different by the type of distraction, since a secondary task that can be exceedingly distracting to the driver causes a higher impact in the driver's reaction time. These distractions cause an impact in the driver's behavior, for example: reducing travel speed, increasing reaction time, or performing unsafe lane changes or departure. Therefore, the distractions that are caused by secondary tasks combined with unsafe driving habits and lack of information on the road could significantly elevate crash risks. |