(A note from Content Science: If you’re reading this article while also driving, please consider your fellow drivers and concentrate on the road! We’ll be here when you get to your destination.)

So much has been written and talked about on creating mobile content, but one topic seems surprisingly absent from the conversation. It’s an emerging area of content that, if not addressed responsibly could have deadly consequences. What is this emerging area?

Distractive content.

Distraction is a problem

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that, each day, more than 15 people are killed and more than 1,200 people are injured in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver.

NHTSA also reveals that of those injured in distracted-driving-related crashes, 24,000 incidents involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (5% of injured people in distraction-related crashes).

These crashes and injuries highlight a growing danger on our roads. A recent CDC analysis, for example, found that more than half of U.S. drivers ages 18-29 reported texting or e-mailing while driving at least once in the last 30 days.

At the same time, the number of smartphones in the U.S. is on a steady increase. Most Americans who buy a new cell phone buy a smartphone instead of a feature phone, as Nielsen has found. And, the majority of 18-34-year-olds now own a smartphone.

The result? More Americans using sophisticated cell phones while driving could have a tremendous negative impact on the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities.

So, how can content strategists use this information? First, let’s define what we mean by distractive driving.

What is distractive driving, exactly?

Using a cell phone, in-car navigation, eating and drinking while driving causes drivers to take their eyes off the road and at least one hand off the steering wheel, endangering both themselves and others. NHTSA has discovered three main types of distraction:

  1. Visual—taking your eyes off the road;
  2. Manual—taking your hands off the wheel; and
  3. Cognitive—taking your mind off what you are doing.

As content and user experience strategists, we plan and even create messaging or content that results in some form of action that could be distractive to drivers, such as

  • Download our app for 24/7 access to your account.
  • You have 1 daily deal expiring in 1 hour. Log in now.
  • Watch this video.

But, what is our responsibility for delivering these messages on mobile devices when there is a good chance someone will read them while driving?

Like me, you’re probably thinking we cannot possibly be the police of common sense. Or, if someone receives an email or SMS or app notification on their phone and decides to read it while driving, it’s not the concern of the strategist any more than the carrier or the phone manufacturer.

And you’re probably thinking, too, those eye-catching digital billboards are equally distractive to drivers and this whole thing is just too far gone to do anything about it now, so why bother?

Because I am responsible for creating compelling content that creates action, I’ve started challenging myself with this question:

How can we, as content and UX strategists, better understand our responsibility in the creation and dissemination of content that could be distractive to drivers?

Distraction beyond the phone + beyond marketing

Cellular phones and marketing campaigns aren’t the only sources of distraction. Tablets and other handheld devices should be in the consideration set, along with head up display (HUD) and augmented reality (AR) devices.

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, not one, not two, but four companies unveiled plans for integrating HUD and AR technologies within automobiles.

  • JVC Kenwood has a prototype that projects caller ID and navigation content on the windshield.
  • Pioneer showcased their redesigned augmented reality device for autos that displays road information and is nearly ready for the Japanese market. You can read more about the technology and see a video at Mashable.
  • Mercedes-Benz wants to integrate social into the driving experience with their AR device and gesture controls. I first read about this on the CNN website here.
  • Audi’s plans to integrate Google Earth and customizable interfaces into the driving experience. Watch the video (not while you’re driving, of course) here.

Tackling distractive content is hard enough to reconcile without HUD and AR devices becoming part of our vehicles. Our demand for technology and information is out-pacing our ability to check whether giving drivers access to it is really safe.

So where do we go from here?

Technology innovations and people’s demand for content won’t slow down, but it’s time for us to stop and think about our responsibility.

Here are three things we can do now to start an informed conversation about distractive content:

  1. Get familiar with the laws regulating using phones and texting while driving and incorporate them into our work.
  2. Stay up-to-date on the latest research and other data at www.distraction.gov.
  3. Revisit completed campaigns and projects to see how the strategy might have been adjusted in light of new regulations in the U.S. and abroad. Would you do anything different?