Cellular Phone Usage and Driving

As of late, cell phones have become a necessity among people who can afford the plans. Cells phones were once available only to people who had extra income, but now there are plans available for those of who can only afford to pay $30. Whatever the case may be, the bottom line is this: cell phones are everywhere.

You're driving down the Interstate and 60 miles per hour, and your phone rings. Yea, it's that call you've been expecting for some time...your wife, maybe? Or your boss? Perhaps your friends calling you to ask if you're available for a little bar hopping tonight. You pick up the phone while you're driving. To you, this may seem like an innocent act. Talking while driving is nothing too hard that requires an excessive amount of thinking....or does it?

The truth is that in almost the same sense that driving and drinking don't mix, driving and talking on the cell phone don't either.

Whenever we attempt to carry out two different tasks at the same time, one of those tasks is going to suffer, even if it's by a tiny fraction, even if it's something mindless like sewing and chewing on gum simultaneously.

When someone is driving and talking on the phone at the same time, the use of the cell phone isn't just distracting the eye. The conversation that is taking place itself is distracting the brain. As a side note, just because your phone happens to be "hands-free" doesn't necessarily mean that you are any safer. As long as you're engaged in the conversation at hand, your brain will be distracted, hands-free or not.

A group of researchers have undertook the task of finding out exactly what is going on in the brain when one is driving and talking on a cell phone at the same time. This group of researchers focuses on cognitive science, and they use magnetic resonance imaging to take a peek inside the brains of the subjects while the experiments are being conducted. During this experience, when the persons are given various tasks, different parts of the brain light up. Whenever the subjects are putting forth concentration on listening, the area of the brain that is involved with vision becomes less active and vice versa.

Other research has proven that cellular phone conversations cause "tunnel vision". Tunnel vision is when a person appears to be looking at objects and the environment around them, but their brains are not registering a large portion of what they see, therefore increasing the likelihood of an accident.

In April 2006, a study was released which proved that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the event. The study was known as the 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, which was conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Prior research found that driver inattention was responsible for 25 to 30 percent of crashes. This new study found that the most common distraction is the use of cell phones, followed by drowsiness.

In fact, In September 2006 California Governor, Schwarzenegger, signed a bill (SB 1613) which prohibited people from driving while using a hand-held cell phone. The law goes into effect in 2008. At that time, California will be the fourth state to have such a ban. The District of Columbia also has a similar law enforced at the time.

If you are on the phone with someone while driving, the person may distract you so much that you aren't even aware that the light is red until the last second, whereas if the person were in the car talking to you, they would probably give you a chance to recognize what was going on before babbling on. The person on the cell phone has no idea what dangers you may be encountering, or what is going on, and therefore will not have any regards to what is happening around you, and how the conversation is affecting you, your brain, and your driving.

The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, a Washington-based trade group recommends the following guidelines to minimize the risk of accident and/or death: Evaluate whether the call is of extreme importance, or if it can wait. Never jot down notes while driving. While driving in heavy traffic, do not talk on the cellular phone. (All attention must be on the road ahead of you, behind you, and on your peripheral visions). If you absolutely need to speak on the phone, pull off the side of the road, and continue driving when the conversation is over.

According to The New England Journal of Medicine, "The risk of a collision when using a cellular telephone was four times higher than the risk when a cellular telephone was not being used" (Redelmeier, et al. 454). Everyone should be made aware of rules for using a cell phone safely while driving if it is to happen at all. This may help decrease the rising statistics of accidents and deaths caused by motorists' misuse of cellular phones.

Reference:

Redelmeier, Donald A., et al. "Association between Cellular-Telephone Calls and Motor
Vehicle Collisions." The New England Journal of Medicine 336:7 (1997): 453-458.