Pedestrian distraction from Smartphones: an end-user perspective on current and future countermeasures

Pedestrian distraction from smartphone use is a concern from a road safety perspective. This research examined the effectiveness of current and future potential countermeasures from an end-user perspective by means of interviews and a focus group with smartphone users. Four broad countermeasure categories were identified from a countermeasures review: behavioural; legislation/regulation; infrastructure initiatives and technology advances. Overall it was found that no single countermeasure category was perceived by end-users to be fully effective in removing the road safety risk of smartphone use by pedestrians, but rather an integrated approach that combines elements such as pedestrian infrastructure separation, publicity, legislation and a shared responsibility for safety amongst all road users, was deemed to be the most promising solution. Future work in this area, particularly focusing on countermeasure prioritisation and subsequent deployment, is then outlined.