ABSTRACT
Behavioural adaptation refers to unintended changes in behaviour that follow a change to the road transport system. Legal restrictions on hand-held mobile phone use may inadvertently encourage some drivers to use more easily concealed forms of electronic communication, such as text messaging. An observational mobile phone use survey was conducted of vehicles stopped at intersections in the state of Victoria, Australia. The survey aimed to quantify Melbourne drivers’ use of hand-held and hands-free phones, as well as their engagement in a range of other non-driving activities that are associated with increased crash risk. Despite legislation prohibiting the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving, a significant proportion of drivers (3.4 per cent) was observed engaging in hand-held mobile phone use, including text-messaging (1.5 per cent). Conversely, only 1.4 per cent of drivers were observed to be communicating via a legally allowed, hands-free device. While the observational survey was not designed to test the behavioural adaptation hypothesis, the results may suggest this possibility; however, further research is required before this can be established.
