Harnessing Existing Technologies to Mitigate Driving Distraction Among Law Enforcement Officers, Iowa, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Wyoming, 2019 (ICPSR 38994)
Nearly half of the law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the United States were due to automobile crashes. Driver distraction has been identified as a common causal factor leading to the crash, with the primary source of distractions being the mobile computer. While there is plenty of literature on officer safety, what is lacking is an understanding of the needs of the officers to interact with the control or communication equipment while driving and how that interaction impacts distraction and, consequently, officer safety. To examine these issues, the research team conducted focus group discussions with law enforcement officers from local, county, and state agencies in four states. The two primary topics of discussion were:
- Officer requirements to operate different pieces of equipment while driving, and
- Different software and systems being used in patrol cars.