New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that a smartphone’s Do Not Disturb (DND) feature, when activated, can be effective in reducing smartphone interactions when driving. Distracted driving killed over 3,200 people in 2023, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, although researchers believe that number is higher. And despite texting bans in almost all 50 states, distraction remains a prevalent problem among drivers, especially younger generations.
Despite their potential to reduce distraction, smartphone technology-based countermeasures like the DND feature are not widely used by drivers. To uncover the reasons why, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety examined what’s causing drivers to avoid these features and how to overcome their objections.
What’s Keeping Drivers from Using DND?
The findings show that some major misconceptions about how the technology works are behind drivers’ apprehension. Drivers cited limited access to music and navigation as reasons not to activate DND features. However, current smartphone-blocking features allow music and navigation to be used when activated. Other barriers mentioned by drivers included not realizing these features were available or forgetting to turn them on.
Another overarching theme regarding why drivers shy away from turning on these features is something most people can relate to — FOMO (fear of missing out). People worry that if DND features are activated, they may miss an important call or text while driving.
Despite this resistance, many drivers favor DND features that automatically turn on during stressful situations like heavy rain, snow or traffic. This preference suggests that drivers are more inclined to use this feature to reduce distraction when there are greater demands on their attention. Other factors that would influence the use of DND features include improved accuracy in recognizing when a user is not a driver, control over what apps are restricted and insurance discounts.
The Impact of Training and Education
The study also revealed that younger drivers (ages 18-24) — a group more likely to use their phones when behind the wheel — are more knowledgeable about DND features than older generations. Compared with drivers 25 and older, the 18- to 24-year-old group was more likely to say they know how to use DND, more likely to know it can be set to automatically turn on and more likely to report current usage. However, the younger group was also more likely to think they can drive safely and message, more likely to want to see notifications and more likely to experience FOMO than drivers who are 25 and older.
Since this group is more prone to driving distracted, researchers were curious whether training and education could improve awareness and understanding of DND features, leading to increased usage. In an on-road study, participants ages 18-24 were monitored for 10 weeks — five weeks with no intervention and five weeks using a DND feature. Between the two periods, a survey was given to assess current knowledge of the technology, followed by training on how to use it. It is important to note that the DND feature was set to turn on automatically when driving was detected, and participants were told to keep this setting on for the remainder of the study.
The Results
Before training:
- 50% of participants did not know their phone had a DND feature.
- 85% reported not knowing how to use it.
- 65% did not know it could be set to turn on automatically when driving was detected.
After training:
- 100% of participants knew their phone had a DND feature, knew how to use it and knew that it could be set to turn on automatically.
- There was a 41% decrease in smartphone interactions.
- Participants were 6% less likely to pick up their phone.
- Opinions of DND features remained unchanged.
To encourage the use of DND features, AAA recommends improving automatic activation and situational awareness features (like recognizing when the user is a passenger versus a driver) and addressing misconceptions through in-app messaging.
