JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Distracted driving has become alarmingly widespread and continues to rise despite efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations to educate the public about this pervasive problem. Every year 1.35 million people die, and nearly 80 million people get injured in road traffic incidents. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young people, and distracted driving plays a huge role in road traffic fatalities and injuries. Considering that most people now use the internet as an information source, and Google being the most visited website and the number one online search engine in the world, we performed a qualitative analysis of information available through this website on distracted driving and its outcomes.

Objective:

The goal of this study was to analyze the quality and accuracy of the information on distracted driving and its consequences available to the general public if one uses Google as a search engine for distracted driving.

Methods:

In November 2018, a non-regional Google search on “Distracted Driving” was conducted. The first two pages of Google search results were selected for analysis. Data was collected on the type of website, type of distraction, consequences of distracted driving described, presence and referencing of statistics, as well as orthopaedic and non-orthopaedic injuries described, with their acute and chronic sequelae.

Results:

In total, we analyzed 25 websites. Twelve websites (48%) came from Government bodies, which were the most common type of websites. Furthermore, 19 (76%) of the sites provided statistics, with 15 (60%) of them giving a reference to the source of the statistic. Cell phones were the most frequently cited type of distraction with 17 (68%) sites discussing it, while death was the most commonly mentioned consequence of distracted driving, quoted in 15 (60%) of the websites. Additionally, 52% of sites provided tips how to avoid distracted driving. Only one website mentioned orthopaedic injuries.

Conclusions:

Distracted driving is increasing in prevalence, and so are the consequences associated with it. Nevertheless, the information available online does not accurately describe the current circumstances regarding this issue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributed 391,000 injuries and 3,477 deaths to distracted driving in 2015, which are 5000 more injuries and almost 150 more fatalities compared to 2011. However, despite these figures, most of the websites discussed death as a consequence of distracted driving and often overlooked injuries, even though injuries are over 100 times more likely to occur in distraction-affected crashes. The websites also largely neglect to address other forms of driving distractions, like daydreaming or talking to a passenger and mostly focus on cell phone-related activities as distractions. More specific information on the dangers of distracted driving and non-lethal trauma may support an overall cultural shift to curb this behaviour. Clinical Trial: N/A