Smartphone on the wheel: “6 minutes of inattention per hour”, a deadly danger confirmed by a study

At the time of summer departures, the Assurance Prévention association publishes a shock study on the impact of driving notifications. Made with Calyxis (behavior experts) and Develter Innovation (driving simulators), she demonstrates that even without manipulating her smartphonethe simple fact of receiving a notification diverts attention massively – up to 6 minutes of inattention per driving hour.

A French study reveals the impact of notifications on a vigilance behind the wheel

To support this observation, the study relied on a rigorous protocol, mixing simulated conduct and ocular monitoring. The figures are clear: in situations where the smartphone is active, the visual attention dedicated to the road drops from 89 to 79 %. And this simple decrease of ten points leads to heavy consequences: twice as many accidents on the highway, 1.7 times more on departmental road, and up to 2.6 times more in town. It is not an effect of style, but a measured reality.

Beyond accident statistics, it is also the cognitive mechanics of distraction that has been analyzed. The study shows that each alert leads to a cognitive treatment phase of 12.7 seconds. During this time, the gaze is shared between the road (6.1 s) and the screen (6.6 s). At 130 km/h, this represents 459 meters traveled without full attention. On the departmental road or in town, the impact is just as critical.

The danger does not only come from the time spent the eyes riveted on the screen. It also arises from a more insidious phenomenon: the rupture of what researchers call “cognitive fluence”. It is this capacity of the brain to maintain a stable mental effort in a complex task, here driving. However, each notification breaks this thread, forcing the driver to reallocate his cognitive resources, to reconstruct the road scene, to rebuild his understanding of the environment. And this is not done in the blink of an eye: sometimes it takes almost a minute to find an optimal concentration.

Faced with these results, prevention insurance pleads for a simple and effective measurement: cut notifications during journeys. It is a habit to take, just like completing your belt. Because a harmless alert is never really when you hold a steering wheel in your hands.

In France, remember that using a smartphone on the wheel, even for a simple glance, is expensive:

• Fine fixary place of € 135 (€ 90 if fast payment, which can climb to € 375 in the event of delay)
• Withdrawal of 3 points on the driving license

The cost is not limited to the fine: a combined offense (telephone + speeding, red light, etc.) leads to immediate suspension of the permit, which can last up to six months.

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