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How using cell phones while driving is dangerous
The use of cell phones has become more popular since their invention. Everyday millions of people use mobile phones for communication and online research. The growth of mobile phone industry and technology has been instrumental in making these gadgets affordable to majority including children. Studies reveal potential harm in rising use cell phones by drivers.
The use of phones while driving motor cars is very common today. However, this activity is considered dangerous given evidence relating cell phone use to a number of road accidents. Several states in the US have passed regulations forbidding use of phones while driving. Other states on the other hand allow the use of hands free gadgets.
Some researchers believe that using hands free gadgets are not safer than using handheld phones. The work involved in holding a conversation causes increased risk of loss of concentration while driving. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University found out that listening to phone conversations could cause up to 37% decrease of functions in human being’s parietal lobe. Parietal lobe is a part of the brain that integrates and manages information such as temperature, taste and touch.
According to Andrew Parkes, driver’s phone conversations impair the driver’s concentration more than passenger conversations. A simulation studies report from University of Utah concluded that drivers involved in passenger conversations performed far much better than lone drivers. The report attributed this to the replication of driving task and the traffic in their conversations.
However, the report by the University of Utah has been heavily criticized by other research institutions. Meta-analysis by the University of Illinois appreciated the danger of passenger conversations. According to AAA (formerly American Automobile Association), passenger conversation was responsible for 11% of accidents related to distraction.
The effects of texting while driving have been a matter of great interest lately. 50 percent of drivers between the age of 16 and 24 confessed to having texted while driving. Two thousand young drivers die annually from accidents related to texting. In May 2009, there was a much publicized car crash in Boston where a driver crashed texting his girlfriend. On September 12, 2008, A Union Pacificfreight train and a Metrolink commuter train had a collision in Los Angeles, California. The accident claimed the lives of 25 commuters. Investigations by National Transport Safety Board (NTBS) found out that the Metrolink train operator had been texting while operating the train. The investigation concluded that the engineer might have been distracted by numerous texts he sent while on duty.
How a cell phone contributes to driving hazards
According to a research from the University of Utah, driving while using a phone lowers a driver’s reaction time to levels observed in drunken individuals. Cell phone results in thousands of road accidents and car crashes annually since our brain have difficulty managing several tasks simultaneously. Using a hand held phone while driving increase car crash risks by up to four times.
When people have conversations, they often have to give the information they get due consideration. This concentration on the information they receive from conversations competes for the brain capacity and can cause impaired decisions.
Latest studies show 8 percent of drivers drive while using cell phones; however, this statistics is expected to rise. Phone conversations take driver’s concentration off the road. Not withstanding the use of either handheld or hands-free phones, the driver loses focus on his driving duty impairing the driver’s judgment. Phone conversations leads to driving impairments as shown below;
a. Inattention blindness: - drivers engaged in phone conversations do not monitor everything they see on their environment. This is a potential cause for harm since the driver is not able to identify a potential danger or respond to emergency circumstances effectively. Research shows that drivers using mobile phones while driving fail to see half of the objects on their driving setting.
b. Slow reaction time: - drivers using cell phones while driving experienced slow response to emergency situations on the road.
c. Sticking to lanes: - drivers engaged in phone conversations have problems sticking to their lanes. Using cell phones while driving fast may cause weaving on the lanes leading to crashes.
Most drivers admit to the potential harm involved in using cell phones while driving; however, confessed to using phones while driving.
Legislation
In the UK motorists caught using hand-held phones while driving risk strict penalties in addition to a fine of 60 pounds. This law was introduced to discourage rampant use of cell phones by drivers and contempt of law. In Japan, it is illegal to use either the hand-held or hands free mobile phones while driving. New Zealand prohibits the use of hand held devices while driving.
In the United States there is no national ban on the use of phone while driving. However, a number of states have enforced laws forbidding the use of phones or requiring that drivers use hands-free gadgets. The state of Illinois was the 17th state to enforce laws against the usage of phones while driving. As of 2010, 30 states had imposed regulations against texting and phone usage while driving.
Public Health Law Research maintains a database of distracted driving regulations in the US. This database contains full details of legal requirements and restriction to use of communication devices while driving for all states in the republic. According to the database the first law restricting the use of mobile devices by drivers was passed in 1992.
In Australia, state police use CCTV cameras to monitor drivers’ behavior on the roads. The cameras have the ability to notice misbehaving drivers miles away. The police also use undercover motorcycles to monitor motorists recording any offence the drivers commit on the police officer’s camera. Countries like the USA are also considering this measure.
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Conclusion
The increased usage of mobile communication devices has led to dangerous consequences leading to death, injury and destruction of vehicles. Using mobile phone devices has been linked to considerable rise in cases of distracted driving. Distracted driving is a major cause of motor vehicle related accidents in the United States of America. The use of communication devices while driving leads to; - up to four times probability of causing accidents – up to 50 percent slower reaction time – lapses in concentration.
The NTSA reported that driver distraction caused 18% of serious road accidents in 2010 resulting to death of over 3000 people and leaving close to half a million people wounded.
American teens are most notorious in using phone calls while driving.
According to Pew survey, approximately 40% of teens in United States of America confessed to being aware of drivers using cell phones while driving. The Virginia Transportation Institute (VTI) discovered that the use of text messages created an accident risk 23 times worse than driving normally without distraction. Young drivers within the age bracket of 18 and 20 years were majorly involved in automobile accidents. 11 percent of them admitted to sending texts or receiving texts at the time of the crash.
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Reference
Claire Laberge-Nadeau (October 2–5, 2005). Linking data from different sources to estimate the risk of a collision when using a cell phone while driving (PDF). Toronto, Canada.
Quit Googling yourself and drive: About 20% of drivers using Web behind the wheel, study says. Los Angeles Times. March 4, 2011
Steitzer, Stephanie (July 14, 2010). Texting while driving ban, other new Kentucky laws take effect today. The courier journal. Retrieved October 17, 2014
Strayer D. L., Drews F. A. & Johnston W. A. (2003). Cell Phone-Induced Failures of Visual Attention During Simulated Driving.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 9(1): 23–32. doi: 10.1037/1076-898X.9.1.23. PMID 12710835
Hanowski, Richard (October 17, 2014). Driver Distraction in Commercial Vehicle Operations Retrieved 2009-07-28.
Valencia, Milton (8 May 2009). "MBTA: Conductor in Boston trolley crash was texting his girlfriend". The Boston Globe
McCartt AT, Hellinga LA, Bratiman KA. Cell phones and driving: Review of research. Traffic Inj Prev 2006;7:89-106
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