PSYCH Case Study Project—Brain and Behavior; Sensation and Perception

Allen Whitecomb is a 47-year-old married man with two kids in college. He lived a happy, healthy life until recently when he was in a bad car accident. Allen was texting and driving which resulted in him losing his leg and experiencing chronic pain. To alleviate his pain, Allen has begun to take over the counter medications. Allen has also started to experience trouble sleeping, increased fatigue and anxiety. His mood has changed as well, he seems more unfriendly and on edge. 

Work has begun to suffer since his accident. Allen works the night shift and is suffering from attendance problems, often showing up late or calling in sick. Allen has trouble remembering information and frequently gets confused. 

The article I chose to examine was the “Objective Assessment of the effects of texting while driving” The test subjects drove a driving simulator over 4 different scenarios while they texted and did not text. The results showed that the drivers eyes deviated off the road 15x more while texting and unnecessarily crossed lane boundaries while texting. 

This article will be beneficial to use during the final project because it will highlight with facts about the dangers of texting and driving. The results show that texting and driving causes a significant distraction and the inattention can increase the likelihood of a crash by 2.5 times. 

Bendak S. Objective assessment of the effects of texting while driving: a simulator study. International Journal Of Injury Control And Safety Promotion. 2015;22(4):387-392. doi:10.1080/17457300.2014.942325.