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Driver distraction is dangerous. Many of the current activities to address the issue in Australia and New Zealand are centred around mobile phone use. However, there are other significant distractions for drivers and driver distraction is more than just a behavioural issue.
Driver distraction occurs because of a complex interaction of interrelated elements within the road traffic system, as well as social and psychological issues beyond the road traffic system. Fewer distraction-related fatalities and injuries are achievable through a more forgiving road environment, improved active and passive vehicle technology, and better speed management. This Austroads project takes an in-depth and nuanced perspective focusing on reducing driver distraction.
This page offers comprehensive information on Austroads’ efforts to combat distracted driving. This work is done under the Road Safety and Design Program.
Austroads Project SAG6417 National Roadmap on Driver Distraction Stage 3: Implementation Governance and Delivery
In 2019, the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and the Federal Government jointly published a National Roadmap on Driver Distraction. Implementing this roadmap is a commitment in Australia’s National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030.
In 2023, Austroads assumed responsibility for initiating the implementation of the Roadmap through the SAG6417 project.
What will this project develop in 2024-2025?
This initiative seeks to develop a standardised national definition for driver distraction to integrate into police crash report coding. The project will also support training for law enforcement personnel to better recognise and document instances of distracted driving leading to road traffic crashes.
The project is currently being carried out by NTRO and a webinar on their findings will be held mid-2025 with a report being published around the same time.
This initiative seeks to develop design focused guidance on in-vehicle human-machine interaction, and on integrating human factors analysis in the road traffic system, to prevent and mitigate driver distraction.
The project is currently being carried out by MUARC and a webinar on their findings will be held in mid-2025 with a report being published around the same time.
What has been completed so far?
The Implementation Guide illustrates, from a systems perspective and partnership approach, how parties interested in reducing driver distraction can support the implementation of the roadmap.
The guide comprises seven sections that lay out the steps which any concerned individual or organisation can adopt to address the issue of distracted driving in line with the Driver Distraction Roadmap.
| This Guide | Your Approach |
|---|---|
| The Problem | Orient Consider the core issues, and how your organisation can make a meaningful impact on the driver distraction problem. |
| Current State | Familiarise Familiarise yourself with the major development programs that are underway and the potential impact they can have. |
| Forward Work Program | Align Systematically review the Forward Work Program agreed by stakeholders and how your organisation’s effort can align with one or more elements. |
| Implementation Partner | Engage Discuss the issue with potential partners including how your interests and responsibilities in distraction prevention coincide and present opportunities. |
| Implementation Mechanism | Design Identify the best means of achieving the change that you want to see, in line with good practice injury prevention principles and current state issues. |
| Ongoing Implementation | Deliver Develop and implement systems to sustain this activity over time, recognising the seemingly intractable nature of the driver distraction problem. |
| Good Practice | Learn Retain a focus on learning from and collaborating with others working in the field, and sharing ideas and information. |
The work program identifies 31 high value research and development projects across nine domains that have the capacity to contribute significantly to the reduction of driver distraction, as outlined in the table below:
| Domains | Options |
|---|---|
| Design | Develop design principles, guidelines, and standards to facilitate safer interactions between drivers, technology, vehicles, and roads. |
| Mitigation | Increase the availability and implementation of in-vehicle distraction mitigation technology. |
| Workplace | Work with employers and workplace health and safety regulators to improve organisational approaches to driver distraction. |
| Compliance | Strengthen existing compliance mechanisms through improved rules, detection, and evaluation. |
| Behaviour | Shift driver behaviour through innovative campaigns and educational strategies. |
| Systems | Develop a systematic and ongoing response which engages more parties in the issue. |
| Communications | Implement good practice road safety communications. |
| Engagement | Implement engage mechanisms that bring many parties together to address the issue. |
| Evaluation | Nourish an ongoing effort to learn more about the issue and what needs to be done. |
| Name | Description | Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Data collection and management | ||
| National driver distraction definition | Develop and adopt a common definition of distraction across Australia and New Zealand that can be operationalised and used to code crash and incident data | Austroads 2024/2025 |
| Harmonise data collection | Standardise the way in which distraction data are collected and coded in crash and incident databases | Austroads 2024/2025 |
| Training crash investigators | Provide training for Police and crash investigators to detect distraction as a contributing factor in crashes and distinguish it from other mechanisms of inattention | Lead? Collaborate? |
| No-blame crash investigation | Undertake Coronial based no-blame crash investigations of distraction-related crashes for formal reporting to responsible Ministers | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Data platform | Develop a data platform to enable the investigation, tracking, and sharing of crash and infringement data resulting from driver distraction | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Standards and guides | ||
| Human Factors integration in transport system | Adopt human factors integration (HFI) processes to ensure that products and systems are user-centred designed to prevent and mitigate distraction | Austroads 2024/2025 |
| Human Machine Interface standards | Develop and implement guidelines and standards for the design of the vehicle human-machine interface (HMI) to reduce distraction | Austroads 2024/2025 |
| Standards for in-vehicle phone setup | Promote standardisation of interfaces for the secure placement, mounting and powering of nomadic devices on vehicle dashboards to prevent distraction induced by sliding and dislodgement of devices | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Technology standards | Promote standardisation of mobile and wearable device design to restrict distractible operations while driving | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Road environment standards | Develop and implement guidelines and standards for the design of the road and traffic environment to reduce distraction | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Advertisement safety standard | Develop standardised criteria and methods for evaluating the safety impact of advertising signage | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Vehicle distraction standard | Develop assessment protocols for rating vehicles for their potential to distract drivers that could be incorporated in new car assessment programs to encourage improved HMI design | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Communication and engagement | ||
| National narrative to drive change | Develop a shared national narrative for driver distraction and align industry and manufacturer led educational campaigns to drive cultural change and awareness of distracted driving | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Stakeholder governance | Establish and operationalise an ongoing stakeholder oriented Governance Framework for preventing driver distraction | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Non-transport stakeholders | Recognise the role that non-transport stakeholders such as the healthcare system or the food and entertainment industries have in distracted driving | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Communication platform | Develop a communications platform with dashboard to support ongoing communications, engagement and Roadmap implementation | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Driver education | Provide distraction management education and training for drivers of all ages into on-road testing | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Demand technology improvement | Stimulate demand for other technologies (such as phone blocking, distraction warning systems and workload managers) where proven to prevent and directly mitigate the effects of distraction | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Promote distraction-technology prioritisation | Promote motor vehicle buyers prioritising vehicle technology features that minimise distraction while driving | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Employers and SafeWork responsibility | Encourage SafeWork Australia and employers to develop and implement best practice guidance for managing distraction | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Evaluation and assessment | ||
| Impact of ADAS and automation on distraction | Investigate the impact of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Partially Automated Driving Systems on driver distraction | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Road environment assessment | Develop assessment protocols for rating the road and traffic environment for its potential to distract drivers that could be incorporated in road safety audits and (iRAP) safety star ratings | Lead? Collaborate? |
| After-market distraction mitigation technologies | Identify potential vendors and suppliers to support the development and implementation of after-market distraction mitigating technologies which could be cost-effectively retrofitted into existing vehicles | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Job stress and distraction investigation | Investigate the relationship between job demands, wellbeing, and distracted driving | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Corporate fleet policy | Investigate the use of financial and non-financial incentives on corporate fleet insurance policies through the implementation of driver distraction prevention technologies and policies | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Effectiveness of mobile phone detection technology | Investigate the effectiveness of deployment methods for automatic mobile phone detection technologies (eg fixed versus mobile) | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Effectiveness of distraction countermeasures | Evaluate the effectiveness of all distraction countermeasures | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Evaluate existing regulations and penalties | Evaluate the effectiveness of existing distraction regulations and penalties for driver distraction, and monitor Australia’s move towards technology-neutral regulations | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Trial new technologies | Monitor and trial new technologies that support compliance with regulations for driver distraction | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Insurance incentives | Investigate the use of personalised insurance incentives for individuals that exhibit safe driving habits, weighted towards distraction mitigation | Lead? Collaborate? |
| Evaluate roadmap implementation | Evaluate delivery of this work program after six years and develop a distraction prevention strategy and plan to 2040 | Lead? Collaborate? |
What's next?
A ten-year plan is being mapped out to prioritise the dozens of projects outlined in the forward work program. This work is being carried out in consultation with road safety and driver distraction experts. Check back soon for the long-term plan.
Webinar
Watch a webinar recording on the guide, the first projects being prepared, and encourage further discussion and ongoing engagement about this important road safety issue.
