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Distracted driving study could have positive effects, researcher and Windsor police say

The University of Windsor and the Windsor Police Service have teamed up to conduct a study into distracted driving in the southwestern Ontario city. UWindsor’s Faculty of Human Kinetics has secured a grant of nearly $25,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to work on the study.

A UWindsor associate professor has received a $25K grant

Oliver Thompson · CBC News ·
Man shown turning the radio in a car.
Distracted driving research will be conducted by a researcher at the University of Windsor who has secured a grant of nearly $25,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. (Isai Hernandez/Shutterstock)

A researcher at the University of Windsor says a new study into distracted driving could positively impact driver and public safety.

Francesco Biondi, an associate professor at UWindsor's Faculty of Human Kinetics, has secured a grant of nearly $25,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to conduct the study.

Francesco Biondi is an associate professor of kinesiology at the Human Kinetics faculty at the University of Windsor. He stands in front of the Tesla car he used in his driver attentiveness study.
Francesco Biondi is an associate professor in kinesiology at the University of Windsor. His study will measure the prevalence of distracted driving, and the impact of school zone signs and traffic volumes on driver distraction within selected study locations. (Dale Molnar/CBC)

The project will measure the prevalence of distracted driving, and the impact of school zone signs and traffic volumes on driver distraction within selected study locations.

"What we're going to do with this project is gather more information on what areas in Windsor are more at risk of driving distraction," Biondi told CBC News. "[We'll] also see what behaviours are more common [amongst certain] demographics: men and women, older or younger drivers."
Distracted driving doesn't respect geographical or political boundaries- Barry Horrobin, Windsor police's director of planning and physical resources

Windsor Police Service (WPS) will contribute staff consultative time and perspective to the project, and the University of Windsor will contribute about $14,000 in equipment and technological support, according to a statement from UWindsor. 

"I think that one of the objectives is to further strengthen the relationship between the University of Windsor and the Windsor Police Service, and it's the goal of the university and the department of kinesiology in particular," Biondi added. 

Practical application

Barry Horrobin, director of planning and physical resources at the WPS, welcomes the study. 

He told CBC News that research into distracted driving could have a positive impact on the community.

"I find that the university is always looking for research opportunities that apply to real-world problems," he said. "It's one thing to study theoretical things.... but when you have real-world issues that affect the public, there's the knowledge that can be gained from studying that thoroughly, which we don't have time to do at the police service." 

A man with dark hair and a mustache
Barry Horrobin, director of planning and physical resources at Windsor Police Service, says that if the study yields useful data, they would be willing to share it with other police forces. (Jonathan Pinto/CBC)

The WPS hopes the study helps in crafting preventive measures.

Horrobin added that if the study yields useful data, they would be willing to share that with police forces across Canada and potentially globally.

"Distracted driving doesn't respect geographical or political boundaries," he said. "The results would be something we would be happy to and we will share with our with our colleagues in the profession for sure."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Oliver Thompson

Oliver Thompson is a writer, producer and musician. Originally from the UK, where he worked for the BBC, Oliver moved to Canada in 2018.

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