An empirical investigation of the students’ attitudes and opinions toward texting while driving

Abstract

Drivers today are facing more distraction on the road than ever before. Cell phones are among the many devices competing for drivers’ attention while they are behind the wheel. In recent years text messaging has drastically risen in popularity making cell phones even more dangerous to drivers and roadways. One study by the Virginia Tech Institute found that those who text while driving are 23 times more likely to have an accident than those who don’t. Texting while driving is a serious and complex problem in today’s society and is the focus of this study. Despite the seemingly obvious dangers of texting and driving, many people continue to do it. To assess the attitudes and opinions of texting while driving and uncover some of the motivations behind this dangerous activity, surveys were administered to 344 business students. Results from these surveys were used to test hypotheses suggesting connections between texting while driving and self-control, attitude, social responsibility, addiction, and risk-taking. For example, results of multiple regression tests supported our hypothesis that those with lower levels of self-control are more likely to text while driving. These tests also showed that those who have an addiction to texting will text while driving more than those who do not. In addition to discussing the results of our hypotheses, we suggest future research topics to elaborate on this field of study.