Are Dash Cams Good Enough to Eliminate Distracted Driving Caused by Mobile Devices?

When you are dealing with an addiction like phone distraction, being told to not look at your phone while driving isn’t good enough. Of all the behavior challenges that impact drivers, cell phone distraction is unique in that it is truly driven by an addiction to interacting with a device that is designed to demand our attention. Therefore, it is a very difficult addiction to break.

The world of commercial auto insurance is in a crisis right now. Insurers, brokers, captives, self-insurers, reinsurers, and fleets are struggling with the impact of vehicle accidents and their impact on insurance. The future will include rapidly escalating insurance costs and a huge emphasis being placed on the avoidance of accidents. That said, the key behavior that causes the majority of accidents is phone distraction. The most prevalent type of accident is the at-fault rear end collision, almost entirely caused by driver distraction. As a matter of survival, fleets must be proactive about managing driving risk.

Impact of mobile device distraction

Of all the possible causes of distraction, the most pervasive and the most dangerous is that associated with mobile devices. The majority of accidents are caused by cell phone distraction, the financial/legal impact of an accident is worsened when the driver’s response time is impacted, and the legal exposure is heightened if cell phone use is involved. Cell phone distraction increases both the frequency and the severity of accidents while being far more pervasive than other elements of distraction.

The impact of mobile distraction combined with other behaviors

Virtually every negative driving behavior is worsened when combined with distraction.  Speeding, tailgating, lane changes, navigating intersections, road rage, overall attention to the driving environment, and overly aggressive driving are all more dangerous when combined with distraction. This is because distraction lessens the time and shortens the distance that the driver has to react to any situation. Less time and space to adjust to driving situations makes all of these driving behaviors even more dangerous.

Technologies that focus on mobile distraction while driving

While there are different approaches to lessening this risk, the two basic approaches are:

1. Recognize and notify: Driver distraction is recognized via video or an app and the driver/management is notified for corrective action.
   1. Examples: Dash cams, app-based telematics
2. Prohibit: The unauthorized use of the mobile device is prohibited so that the driver no longer has the choice to misuse the device behind the wheel.
   1. Examples: Cell phone compliance solutions

Reasons why dash cams are not the best option to eliminate phone distraction

While there are different approaches to lessening this risk, the two basic approaches are:

1. Cost: Dash cam projects are expensive and time consuming to evaluate, pilot, install, deploy, and train.
2. Time to deploy: Timing is of the essence when a LifeSaver Mobile solution can literally be completed in a week.
3. Employee/union resistance
   1. Issues are inevitable with dash cams including privacy and facial recognition concerns
   2. Fleets may decide to implement only forward facing cameras, which means dash cams would provide no insight regarding phone usage
4. Hawthorne Effect: Drivers will initially be responsive to guidance for changing their behavior but that commitment gradually weakens over time.  Recidivism refers to behavior changes that are made initially, although the previous behaviors will return if not actively and continuously managed.  Drivers knowing they are being watched is one thing, drivers knowing there are consequences for risky behavior is another issue.
5. Cell phone is uniquely addictive
   1. “Recognize and notify” strategy with dash cams does not fix the problem but rather provides a basis for corrective feedback
   2. Dash cams allow interaction with the phone even when policy restricts it
6. Dash cams can only identify phone usage in its field of vision
   1. Humans are always looking for workarounds
   2. Drivers can position their mobile devices in their laps in order to avoid detection by dash cams that they are using their devices

With the addiction to phone usage, it only takes one small mistake to result in an accident. The opportunity to make the “small mistake” should be eliminated. The damage and liability of a serious accident while using a cell phone can be devastating. While many behaviors are just bad habits, responding to a cell phone that is demanding our intention is inevitable. While dash cams are excellent for claims settlement and driver exoneration, a more thorough approach is needed to eliminate the one behavior that can’t just be coached away.