Technology for reducing distracted driving in developing countries: the level of usage and intention to use in Indonesia.

Distracted driving is a major cause of car crashes. Considering the dangers of distracted driving, efforts to develop prevention and/or reduction technology are underway. The purpose of this study is to observe the level of usage of distracted-driving-reduction technology in Indonesia and model the intention to use this technology on the technology acceptance model (TAM). The participants in this study included 418 Indonesian drivers (217 males, 201 females, mean age = 30.96 years), who volunteered to fill out an online questionnaire that the researcher developed, based on the TAM. The questionnaire comprised constructs including subjective norm, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use, as well as the additional constructs of trust in technology and personal innovativeness. Participants used a five-point Likert scale to record their responses. The results showed the level of respondents' use of distracted-driving-reduction technology as 88.52%. The most frequently used technology for this purpose was Bluetooth-enabled audio systems. The factors that significantly influenced the intention to use distracted-driving-reduction technology were the subjective norm, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and personal innovativeness. The paper also discusses the implications of the results.

Measurement of Nasalance Scores Without Touching the Philtrum for Better Comfort During Speech Assessment and Therapy: A Preliminary Study.

OBJECTIVE: The Kay Pentax nasometer uses a separator plate that touches the philtrum of a patient to separate the nasal and oral sound energies for nasalance measurement. However, the separator plate can restrict the natural movement of the patient's upper lip and generate unpleasant pressure on the patient's philtrum. The present study was intended to measure nasalance scores without touching the philtrum for better comfort during speech assessment and therapy. METHODS: Nasalance scores of 10 males and 10 females having no speech disorders were measured under 4 levels (0, 5, 10, and 15 mm) of the gap between the plate and the philtrum (denoted as plate-to-philtrum gap) using Nasometer II 6450 for nasal (Nasal Sentences) and oral (Zoo Passage) stimuli. Regression formulas were established to examine the relationships between nasalance score and plate-to-philtrum gap for the stimuli. To provide nasalance scores equivalent to those measured for the contact condition, compensation factors for the 5 mm plate-to-philtrum gap measurement condition were identified for the stimuli. RESULTS: The nasalance scores were significantly different between the 4 different plate-to-philtrum gaps for the stimuli. Compensation factors for the Nasal Sentences and the Zoo Passage were identified as 1.17 and 0.71, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The 5 mm plate-to-philtrum gap condition after multiplying the compensation factors can provide equivalent nasalance scores to the conventional contact measurement condition which may provide better comfort in speech assessment and therapy.

Mobile phone use among Indonesian motorcyclists: prevalence and influencing factors.

OBJECTIVE: Indonesia is one of many developing countries that relies on motorcycles as a major mode of transportation. Unfortunately, the widespread use of motorcycles in Indonesia coincides with a high number of motorcycle accidents which can often be attributed to unsafe behaviors of the motorcyclist. One unsafe behavior that is common and hypothetically associated with accidents is the use of a mobile phone while motorcycling. The aim of the present study was to observe the prevalence and behavior of mobile phone use among Indonesian motorcyclists and the factors that might have influenced their behavior. METHODS: Five hundred Indonesian motorcyclists voluntarily participated in this study by filling out a questionnaire that gathered demographic data, motorcycling behaviors, and a statement related to what factors might influence their likelihood to use a mobile phone while motorcycling. A descriptive statistic and Structural Equation Modeling were applied in analyzing the data. RESULTS: Results showed that the prevalence of mobile phone use among Indonesian motorcyclists was 75%. The demographic data that significantly influenced mobile phone use during motorcycling were age, education level, marital status, and number of children. Occupation, gender, and prior experiences that included accidents and tickets with fines did not influence the use of mobile phones during motorcycling. The behavioral model showed that the factors that influenced motorcyclist's intentions to avoid mobile phone use during motorcycling were attitude, perceived behavioral control, and cues to action. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports previous findings regarding the high prevalence of mobile phone use among motorcyclists in developing countries. The models implied that further investigation on intervention strategy to minimize mobile phone use during motorcycling is a necessity.