Drivers’ Distraction While Using Smartphone GPS: A Research Project Proposal

This research project proposal aims to find a solution to the increasing number of car accidents caused by drivers’ distraction while using smartphone GPS. The proposal will provide insights on how the problem can be solved or reduced. The study will use survey research design, and the population of the study is drivers, both men, and women in Australia. The sample of the study is 100 drivers in Brisbane. The data collected will be analyzed and statistically weighed using Microsoft excels in a manner to provide the solution to the research question.

Running Head: RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL 1
Drivers’ distraction while using Smartphone GPS has resulted in accidents.
Student Name
School Name

RESEARCH PROECT PROPOSAL 2
Table of Content
Contents
Problem Statement...........................................................................................................................3
Research Question...........................................................................................................................4
Research methodology.....................................................................................................................5
Research Design..........................................................................................................................5
Delimitation of the Study.............................................................................................................5
The population of the Study........................................................................................................6
The Sample of the Population......................................................................................................6
Sampling Technique....................................................................................................................6
The Instrument for Data Collection.............................................................................................7
Methods of data collection...........................................................................................................7
Methods of Data Analysis...........................................................................................................7
Expected Outcome...........................................................................................................................8
New Knowledge..............................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

RESEARCH PROECT PROPOSAL 3
Problem Statement
According to the World Health Organization report (2005), has established how more than 1.2
million people die and nearly 50 million are injured annually from a road accident. These
accidents cause family trauma and burden on the global health. The report has explained that
distractions caused mobile phone use by drivers have significantly been contributing to road
accidents witnessed recently. Oviedo-Trespalacios et al. (2005) and Haque, M, et al. (2016)
explain how drivers’ interaction with the mobile phone and distraction created to reduce the
driver focus on the road, therefore increasing the prevalence of causing the road accident and
reckless driving. In fact, they argue that the likelihood of causing an accident by distracted
drivers is high compared to non-distracted drivers.
Studies conducted in Australia in 2007 by Evoy S, et al. have examined how phone distraction
has resulted in road accidents in the series of reported cases. The study shows that high numbers
of casualties in hospitals are as a result of road accidents in which the drivers were using a
mobile phone while driving. The statistics have shown it has contributed to more than 14% of
recorded crashes.
Recently, a reported case of four people killed in an accident in South Australia’ south-east, was
found that the driver was using GPS in seconds before the accident (ABC News, 2015). The
driver, who survived the accident, accepted to have been distracted by use of phone GPS
navigation system and could not see the road intersection where he failed to give-way. It is at the
heart of this project proposal to establish GPS as one of the social problems that contribute to the
road crashes in Australia. The proposal will also provide on how the problem would be solved or
reduced.

RESEARCH PROECT PROPOSAL 4
Research Question
Question: Recently, there has been a lot of Car Accidents Related to Using Smart Phones while
Driving. One Reason is that they were looking for GPS System on their Phones. How would this
Problem be solved?
Explanation of Terminologies
1. Smart Phone: This is a handheld device in the form of a personal computer running on
mobile the operating system. The phone has capabilities to make calls, SMS, and connect
to the internet.
2. GPS System: It abbreviates “Global Position System.” According to Wikipedia (2018,
update), “It is a global navigation satellite system that provides geolocation and time
information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an
unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites.”
This research question aims to find a solution to increase in car accidents due to distractions
caused by mobile smartphone. If this research question is answered, the government and other
transport agencies can use the data on solving the numerous road accidents caused by the use of
smartphone GPS navigation system while driving. For instance, it should be a requirement for all
cars to be fitted with navigation system so that the drivers will not have use smartphone GPS
system.
Most of the studies conducted in the recent past have concentrated much on the broader aspect of
how drivers are distracted by using mobile phones while driving. The studies have left gaps for
not addressing specific activities and reasons as to why the drivers are using their phones while
driving. This project proposal has shifted the focus to the specific reasons for the use of mobile

RESEARCH PROECT PROPOSAL 5
phone while driving regardless of the risk of causing an accident. This is the starting point for
getting the solution to the increasing number of car accidents in Australia.
Research methodology
At this part, the approach of the whole research will be explained in detail. Under this
subsection, the research design and the areas of study are explained into detail, as well as the
population of the study, the population, the population sample and sampling techniques used,
data collection instruments, administration, and analysis of the data.
Research Design
Survey research design is the most suited approach to solving this research problem of this study.
Therefore, the approach will be used in finding solutions to the research problem whereas
achieving the intended study objective.
In this approach, survey research is conducted on a population by getting a sample to represent
the whole population. A sample is a portion or a part of a particular population in a study that is
used as the representative of the whole and the findings generalized to the whole population. To
conduct the research survey, drivers’ opinions were collected by use of questionnaire online in
gas stations in Brisbane.
Delimitation of the Study
The proposal sought the opinion and perspectives of the drivers, both men, and women of
different ages in Brisbane were sought on GPS use and its connections with accidents due to
driver distractions. They are expected to answer the questions related to drivers’ experience and
the distractions caused by mobile phone use when driving.

RESEARCH PROECT PROPOSAL 6
The population of the Study
The proposal targeted drivers, both men, and women in Australia, but the researcher is only able
to access a population of drivers, both men, and women in Brisbane.
The study preferred drivers as the most appropriate population of the study because they
constitute the dramatis-personae responsible for the roads. Most of these drivers have many years
of experience in driving and therefore, stand a chance of providing the most needed and relevant
information that capture quality evidence that allows us to lead to the formulation of convincing
and credible answers to our research question and evaluate the outcomes. The proposal aims to
reach more than 100 drivers in two weeks from 20 gas stations around Brisbane. Due to time
limitation, the study will use at least five researchers to do the survey.
The Sample of the Population
When the population is small enough it may warrant the researcher to include everyone in the
research, but when the population is large and widely distributed studying it whole may be
impossible, expensive and time-consuming. To study such large population, a small part of it is
taken as the sample. A sample is the representative of the whole population. The sample of the
study is 100 drivers in Brisbane. To encourage them into filing the questionnaire, the survey will
be offered online as they want to pay. This will attract about 40% of the drivers to fill the survey,
so the appropriate analysis of the data that would help answer the question is quantitative data.
Sampling Technique
A random sampling procedure was used to select the participants in the study. This technique is
more suitable because drivers were filling the forms randomly as long as they wish to give their

RESEARCH PROECT PROPOSAL 7
opinion and make it count. The questionnaires were made available at ten gas stations around
Brisbane. The study targeted 100 drivers in two weeks.
The Instrument for Data Collection
The researcher designed a questionnaire to help in the research survey. The questionnaires were
at supplied to the gas stations in Brisbane while others were online where the drivers could easily
access them as they pay. The respondents were expected only to indicate their age and sex and
no other personal information required.
Methods of data collection
The questionnaires are distributed to the gas stations and administered to the intended
population. A hundred questionnaires were given out and competed in two weeks. The five
researchers collected the filled questionnaires and the data entered in the spreadsheet. The
questionnaire included the following:
Question 1: Age…………………………Sex:………………………………..
Question 2: Have you ever had a car accident before? Yes………………..No…………………
Question 3: If your answer is yes in question (2) above, give the reason for the cause of
accident…………………………………………………………………………………….
Methods of Data Analysis
The data collected is analyzed and statistically weighed using Microsoft excels in a manner to
provide the solution to the research question. Graphical presentations of the data were also used.

RESEARCH PROECT PROPOSAL 8
Expected Outcome
There were 92 respondents across the ten gas stations in Brisbane, and the response rate was
92%. The drivers’ demography and characteristics were:
1. 78 male respondents were over 35 years out of the 92 total respondents
2. Young adults and youths in both sexes: 5 respondents, one female, and five male.
3. The rest were women of over 35 years
Most of the respondents have never been involved in a major accident. Only 32 out of the 92
respondents have had an accident before. Surprisingly, 21 respondents in those who have had an
accident before accepted the cause of the accident as their fault. Most indicated environmental
distractions. The two respondents were using GPS navigation system the time the accident
happened. From the findings, we concluded that use of mobile phone GPS system has
contributed to car accidents in Australia.
New Knowledge
The study has been able to tackle a specific problem on GPS use and how it increases the risk of
causing car accidents. This is an added knowledge on how to approach the field of mobile phone
distractions to the drivers. The study has added to the previous studies on phone use while
driving by pointing out the real use of the phone that has led to the accident.

RESEARCH PROECT PROPOSAL 9
References
Driver distracted by GPS in an accident that killed four family members. (2015, March 10).
Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-10/driver-distracted-by-gps-in-
smash-that-killed-doyle-family/6296590
Evoy, S., Stevenson, M. (2007). An exploration of the role of driver distraction in serious road
crashes. In: IJ Faulks et al., eds. Distracted driving. Sydney, Australasian College of
Road Safety, 189 211.
Global Positioning System. (2018, June 6). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System
Haque, M, M., Oviedo-Trespalacios, O., Debnath, A., Washington, S (2016). Gap Acceptance
Behavior of Mobile Phone—Distracted Drivers at Roundabouts. Transportation Research
Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2602:43–51.
Oviedo-Trespalacios, O., Haque, M, M., King, M., (2015). Washington S, editors. Influence of
road traffic environment and mobile phone distraction on the speed selection behaviour
of young drivers. Driver Distraction and Inattention Conference DDI 2015; Sydney.
The Global Burden of Disease: (2004) ( update). Geneva, World Health Organization, 2008
(http://www.who. int/healthinfo/global_burden disease/GBD report 2004update
AnnexA.pdf, (accessed on 7 June 2018 ).
World Health Organization, (2015). Global status report on road safety. Geneva: 2015
9241565063.