Drivers Using Mobile Phones in Traffic: An Ethnographic Study of Interactional Adaptation

Abstract

Mobile phone use in cars is a highly debated issue. Legislation and policy discussions flourish in many countries and coincide with an increased effort in design of new in-car technologies. The studies that influence policy and design decisions use experimental approaches and are based on a cognitive perspective. This article discusses why this is a problematic approach. Further, the article provides data and initial results from an ethnographic study of mobile phone use in traffic, where the aim is to investigate the interactional adaptation by which the driver fit the involvement with the phone with driving and vice versa. By taking part of drivers'daily work and video recording their activities of driving and handling the mobile phone, details are revealed that could not be found in experimental studies with a constructed setup. The article ends with a discussion of the benefits of this method and how it can be developed further.

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