Description

The Susceptibility to Driver Distraction Questionnaire (SDDQ) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess drivers’ susceptibility to attentional distractions while driving. The questionnaire evaluates individual differences in the tendency to become distracted by internal and external factors that may interfere with safe driving performance.

Driver distraction may arise from various sources, including mobile phone use, conversations with passengers, in-vehicle activities, environmental stimuli, and other competing demands that reduce the driver’s ability to maintain attention on the road.

Objective

The main objective of the SDDQ is to evaluate the degree to which drivers are vulnerable to distraction during driving situations.

The scale aims to identify how drivers perceive, experience, and respond to different sources of distraction and how these factors may influence driving behaviour and road safety.

The results can support the development of driver education programs, prevention strategies, and behavioural interventions aimed at improving attentional control and reducing distraction-related driving risks.

Structure and Content

The SDDQ assesses different aspects of driver distraction susceptibility, including:

Distraction Frequency: The extent to which drivers experience or engage in distracting activities while driving.

Distraction Sensitivity: The degree to which external or internal stimuli interfere with concentration and driving performance.

Perceived Impact of Distractions: The individual’s perception of how distractions affect reaction time, decision-making, and driving safety.

Coping Strategies: The methods drivers use to manage or reduce distractions while operating a vehicle.

The questionnaire may include items related to common distraction sources such as mobile devices, passenger interactions, navigation systems, and environmental events.

Scoring Method

The SDDQ is typically scored using a Likert-type scale, commonly ranging from:

1 = Never

to

5 or 7 = Always.

Participants indicate the frequency or degree to which different distraction-related situations apply to their driving behaviour.

Total scores are calculated by summing or averaging item responses. Higher scores indicate greater susceptibility to driver distraction, while lower scores indicate better resistance to distracting influences.

Data Analysis and Use

Data collected through the SDDQ can be analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, factor analysis, and correlation methods.

The questionnaire is used in traffic psychology research to investigate relationships between distraction susceptibility, driving behaviour, accident risk, personality characteristics, and safety attitudes.

It can also contribute to the design of targeted interventions for high-risk drivers and support the evaluation of driver training programs.

Validity and Reliability

Research on driver distraction has demonstrated that individual differences in attentional control, risk perception, and behavioural tendencies influence driving safety.

Psychometric evaluation of distraction-related questionnaires typically examines internal consistency, factorial structure, and associations with objective driving measures or self-reported driving behaviour.

References

Horrey, W. J., & Wickens, C. D. (2006). In-vehicle glance duration and driver distraction. Human Factors, 48(4), 663–674.

Young, K. L., & Regan, M. A. (2007). Driver distraction: A review of the literature. Road Safety Research, Policing and Education, 13(2), 235–249.

Dingus, T. A., Guo, F., Lee, S. E., & Antin, J. F. (2016). Driver crash risk factors and prevalence of crash types by driver age and sex. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 38, 1–11.

Strayer, D. L., & Johnston, W. A. (2001). Driven to distraction: Dual-task studies of simulated driving and conversing on a cellular telephone. Psychological Science, 12(6), 462–466.

Redelmeier, D. A., & Tibshirani, R. J. (1997). Association between cellular-telephone calls and motor vehicle collisions. New England Journal of Medicine, 336(7), 453–458.