Final answer:
Texting is the greatest cause of distracted driving accidents, as the habit of checking phones is hard to break and interferes with driving. Research indicating this comes from Bayer & Campbell, which emphasizes the importance of disrupting this event schema to prevent accidents.
Step-by-step explanation:
The greatest cause of distracted driving accidents is texting (Option A). According to research by Bayer & Campbell (2012), the habit, or event schema, associated with checking phones is difficult to resist, much like facing the door in an elevator. This event schema makes refraining from checking phones while driving particularly challenging, leading to a significant number of accidents.
When designing a study to test the response time of drivers, such as one that measures how many seconds it takes for a driver to respond when a leading car hits the brakes, it is important to take into account the behavior of texting while driving. It is a hazardous practice that has become prevalent and is considered an epidemic due to its frequency and impact on driving performance.
Therefore, it is crucial to develop strategies to help people interrupt their "phone schema" while driving to reduce the incidents of distracted driving accidents.