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Prefrontal cortex activation during distracted driving scenarios among adolescent licensed drivers
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Prefrontal cortex activation during distracted driving scenarios among adolescent licensed drivers

Divya Jain, Chelsea M. Ward McIntosh, Hasan Ayaz, Christina L. Master, Kristy B. Arbogast and Catherine C. McDonald
Transportation research interdisciplinary perspectives, v 40, 102228
Nov 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2026.102228
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2026.102228View
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Abstract

Adolescent drivers Distracted driving Driving simulation Functional near-infrared spectroscopy
•Teens are the highest proportion of drivers using a cellphone during fatal crashes.•Coupling fNIRS and simulated driving captures differences in cognitive effort during distractions.•Teen drivers require greater cognitive workload during complex cellphone distractions. Drivers aged 15–20 years represent the greatest proportion of distracted drivers using a cellphone during a fatal crash, yet few studies have assessed how different cellphone distractions impact driving performance. Recent technologic advances can allow for safe exploration of the neural mechanisms of driving behaviors by simultaneously measuring driving performance and neurological function. The goal of this study was to quantify and compare the cognitive workload of common cellphone-based distractions during driving simulation via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a portable, optical, neuroimaging modality. Licensed adolescent drivers aged 16.5–18 years (N = 48, 26 female) completed the Simulated Driving Assessment (SDA), a validated assessment with variations of the most common adolescent driver crash configurations, with four cellphone distractions (navigating using a GPS app [Maps], finding a specific artist/playlist in a music app [Music], sending a scripted text message [Text], answering a phone call [Phone Call]). An fNIRS device measured prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation, a proxy measure of cognitive workload, during each distraction. During the SDA, participants displayed significantly greater PFC activation during all distracted driving events compared to driving with no distraction. Phone calls and texting elicited significantly greater activation than navigation and music. However, when assessing the interaction of cellphone distraction and underlying SDA driving scenarios, phone calls and texting during left turns elicited the greatest PFC activation compared to other combinations of distraction and underlying driving scenario. Coupling fNIRS with the SDA can potentially be applied to capture differences in cognitive workload elicited by different cellphone distractions among adolescent drivers.

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