Abstract This study examined how smartphone addiction affects cognitive attention and driving behavior using a high-fidelity driving simulator. Smartphone addiction—defined by compulsive, uncontrolled device use—is a growing public health issue with potential implications for driver safety. Forty participants were classified into two equal groups (addicted vs. non-addicted) based on a validated smartphone addiction scale. Cognitive performance was measured using the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT), while driving behavior was assessed under both low-demand (simple) and high-demand (complex) simulation scenarios. Compared to non-addicted participants, those with smartphone addiction showed significantly lower scores in selective and focused attention across both visual and auditory domains. In the driving simulation, they exhibited greater lane deviation, delayed reaction times, impaired braking behavior, and reported higher subjective mental workload—particularly under complex driving conditions.Importantly, these impairments occurred in the absence of active phone use, suggesting that smartphone addiction may function as an internal cognitive distraction. The findings underscore the need for public health strategies aimed at reducing smartphone dependency to promote safer driving behavior.
Talaei et al. (Mon,) studied this question.