The main aim of this study was to understand the predictors of mobile phone use while driving, focusing on driving skills in young and novice drivers. Specifically, in order to test the hypothesis that perceptual motor skills would positively, and safety skills would negatively predict mobile phone use while driving 218 (125 males, 86 females, 7 did not specify; Mage = 21.4, SDage = 1.28) undergraduate car drivers from a state university in Türkiye were recruited. Participants answered questions on driving skills (i.e., perceptual motor skills and safety skills), cell phone use while driving, and a demographic information form (gender, frequency of driving, number of accidents in the last 3 years). The independent samples t-test revealed that males used mobile phones more while driving and had higher perceptual motor skills. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that perceptual motor skills positively and safety skills negatively predicted mobile phone use while driving. Our findings highlight the need for further work by relevant authorities to develop a more precise understanding of drivers' actual driving skills and to reduce overconfidence or misplaced sense of security. In particular, given that traffic education programs in Türkiye mostly focus on the development of general driving skills and include information about traffic rules, there is a need to include safe driving education programs in driver training programs.
Keywords:
Distracted driving, mobile phone use while driving, perceptual motor skills, safety skills, road safety