The issue of distracted driving by the smartphone is of primary importance for road safety. This study discusses the results of a simulated driving experiment that explores the effects of four smartphone usages on driving performance across a range of driver ages and experiences also considering the gender factor. Unlike most similar studies, which mainly focus on a single element at a time (gender influence, specific age group, etc.), the proposed experimental design investigates the extent to which several combinations of factors related to the driver, the driving environment and the specific smartphone usage may affect driving performance. Using ANOVA and ANCOVA it has emerged that: (i) Age seems to significantly affect driving behaviour, older drivers tend to reduce their speed when using smartphones. (ii) Consistently with previous research, the risk of collision increases for all age groups when using smartphones. (iii) Drivers tend to increase their speed during a phone conversation. This interesting result may indicate how much the perception of risk associated with smartphone use has changed alarmingly in short time. Outcomes provide new knowledge based on experimental evidence and can support legislators towards introducing effective measures to counteract the widespread use of the phone when driving.

中文翻译：

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使用ANOVA和ANCOVA进行手机使用对驾驶性能影响的比较分析

智能手机分散驾驶的问题对于道路安全至关重要。这项研究讨论了模拟驾驶实验的结果，该实验探索了四种智能手机的使用对一系列驾驶员年龄和经验的驾驶性能的影响，同时还考虑了性别因素。与大多数类似研究不同，大多数研究一次只关注一个要素（性别影响，特定年龄组等），与之不同的是，拟议的实验设计调查了与驾驶员，驾驶环境和驾驶环境相关的多种因素组合的程度。特定的智能手机使用情况可能会影响驾驶性能。通过使用ANOVA和ANCOVA，可以发现：（i）年龄似乎对驾驶行为产生重大影响，老年驾驶员在使用智能手机时往往会降低其速度。（ii）与先前的研究一致，使用智能手机时，所有年龄段的人发生碰撞的风险都会增加。（iii）驾驶员在通话过程中倾向于提高速度。这个有趣的结果可能表明与智能手机使用相关的风险感知在短时间内发生了惊人的变化。结果提供了基于实验证据的新知识，并且可以支持立法者采取有效措施来抵消驾驶时手机的广泛使用。