Cell Phone Impairs One's Driving Ability?

In today’s society talking on the cell phone is an everyday ritual. But many people question whether or not talking on the phone impairs driving. To conduct an experiment researchers need to determine a controlled condition, assigning subjects to different conditions, and making sure the only difference between conditions is the use of a cell phone.

Driving Us to Distraction Summary-Response Paper The essay, ‘Driving us to Distraction’ by Gilbert Cruz is about the dangers of hands-free technology while driving. The author argues that while driving and talking on a cell phone is deadly, using hands-free technology is not that much better of a choice. He supports his argument by citing a 2003 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study that found cellphone use to be a serious hazard on the road and by mentioning a series of simulator tests conducted in 2007 by a psychology professor at the University of Utah named David Strayer.

We all are probably aware that texting and talking on the phone is a distraction to all drivers and can be very dangerous. Also, we all know there are many other distractions besides texting and driving, and any type of technology can cause a driver to be distracted. Forty-one percent of all drivers use their hands to text in the car while driving, according to Greg Gardner (52). It can cause people to forget about pedestrians or their surrounding areas. People who are distracted often aren’t focused and don’t have both hands on the wheel. According to Bryan Wilson, people may say that cell phones are easy to be pointed out as a problem, but statistics show the damage cell phones can do to a person while they are driving (6). According to Simon Usborne, time spent not looking at the road while talking on the phone is 15% of the time (68). Also, while texting and driving the time spent not looking at the road is 30% of the time (Usborne 69). As technology improves more and more people may feel the need to use their cell phones while driving. According to Melissa Healy, cell phone use can be as dangerous as drunk driving (42). Tests should be done to compare the various ways of sober people under the influence driving also to compare the impact of texting and driving. This would give us a better understanding of just how dangerous driving and being on our phone really is.

As technology becomes more and more advanced it becomes more and more of a distraction to drivers. Every day you see ads on TV, billboards, and the internet about the dangers of texting and driving and yet some of us still do it. According to USA Today, in America, more than 3,000 people died due to texting and driving. That is about one in 11 U.S. traffic deaths. If I was asked to create an experimental design to test the hypothesis that talking on a cell phone impairs driving skills, I would use a driving simulator to test accuracy of drivers when they drive while using a cell phone and when they aren’t using a cell phone.

The Mythbusters tested the idea that driving while talking on a cell phone is just as dangerous as driving drunk. To test this, they had two people attempt the same driving course three times: once sober with no distractions, once sober while distracted by a phone conversation, and once intoxicated. The independent variables in this experiment are, therefore, the use of a cell phone and the driver’s alcohol level. The dependent variable is the driver’s ability to successfully complete the course, including stopping on time and avoiding the cones outlining the course.

For this experiment a closed course is recommended in order to limit the danger of the test to both the test subject and others. During the test there should be less distractions’ such as listening to the radio and talking to the passenger in the car. The primary reason for eliminating other distracting factors is to test the hypothesis that texting while driving interferes with driving skills. Also the main reason why the control test is performed is to compare the conditions of the people texting while driving. From here, the next stage or step would be assigning subjects ( both male and females) people to the test. This test should consist of a diverse group of both male and female and should be chosen from a wide range of ages. During the test the subjects should be given the same conditions to drive in, such as using; the same car (vehicle), and at the same time of day in order to make this test valid and accurate. From there the next step would be to check if the test is fair for those in the control group as compared to those driving while on the cell phone. In this experiment the subjects should drive first in the control conditions, then while on the

“A distracted driver may fail to see up to 50% of the available information in the driving environment. You may look but not actually “see” what is happening. Focus of the driver is not on the road or traffic and it becomes difficult to handle phone and vehicle at one time. Cell phones during driving also reduce the mental capacity of drivers as they fail to concentrate on minor or major activities happening around them. Cell phones distract drivers' attention resulting in comparatively slow response to traffic signals and other related traffic events. Studies have shown the fact that breaking reaction time is also slower while talking on a cell phone during driving. The perception, vision, general awareness, and concentration of the driver are impacted while communicating on a cell phone during driving. Especially during bad weather or driving on slippery roads, drivers engaging in conversation pay less attention to these areas increasing risks of fatal accidents.

According to the National Safety Council, there are reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes and about 330,000 injuries a year. Nearly 1 in 4 car accidents in the United States are caused by texting while driving, but how do we know if cell phone use while driving is the leading cause. One of the biggest problems with these statistics is that there is no knowledge of which that proves texting impairs driving. I believe that an experiment will have to be conducted to prove this theory, so I have come up with an idea for conducting such an experiment.

How many accidents do you know that have been caused by impairment with a cell phone? When looking around an intersection, it is common to see drivers looking in their laps instead of the road. Multiple messaging apps like facebook messenger and snapchat are making cellphones hard to put down for long amounts of time. It is crucial to find out if cell phones can be linked to impaired driving. In this experiment, we will test the effects of talking on a cell phone during a driving test and see if talking on a cell phone will lead to worse driving scores compared to drivers not talking on a cellphone.

Two studies done by the Texas Transportation Institution of Transportation shows the dangers of texting and driving along with the addition of using hands-free technology while driving. (2,5). In the results of the texting and driving study drivers were known to have a 3 second delay to response task given to them while driving for the study (3). For the second study on the use of hands-free technology while driving, results gave a conclusion of “ Additionally, it took driver's longer to complete the same texting task using the voice-to-text applications than it did when texting manually”(2). Even the solution of hands-free technology given to us by phone companies didn’t work against the dangers of delayed response times and distracted driving times. Those who are affected by distracted driving often face emotional, physical and mental pain when involved in a car crashed related to the use of a cell phone while

In order to prove that distracted driving is dangerous and has serious consequences, an experiment should be conducted to prove the following hypothesis: talking on the cell phone impairs driving skills.

The reason that most people do not realize that their driving is impaired when using cell phones is due the illusion of attention, in which people think that they pay more attention to their surroundings than they really do. When this error of perception occurs, also known as inattentional blindness, people fail to notice unexpected events even when they are in plain sight (Invisible Gorilla, Chapter 1). Although the visual and motor skills of experienced drivers are not impaired while talking on the phone, there is a greater risk of change blindness, such as not noticing a car suddenly breaking in front of them or a bicyclist crossing the street. In addition, people do not realize their driving is impaired due to over confidence in their multitasking ability and because it is rare they experience evidence to the contrary (Dalton Lecture: Sept. 28). To study this issue, I would conduct an experiment with a random sample of students from a university. The students would be randomly assigned into one of two comparison groups: the control group or the experimental group (Pg. 116-117). The students in the experimental group would be asked to perform a number of cellphone related tasks while in a simulated driving video game that involved unexpected driving occurrences and hazards. Those in the control group would be given no other task than driving through the same simulated track. The results from each group would be analyzed and compared to see if the experimental group made

Hands free cell phone usage should not be used while driving based on evidence that shows that the use a cell phone while driving leads to more driving mistakes and overall lack of awareness (Sanbonmatsu et al., 2015). Drivers that use cell phones make more serious and minor errors, but cannot recall making these errors due to a lack of awareness. These drivers are more unaware of their inconsistent speed, placement in lanes and near accidents than those that are not using a cell phone. Additionally, these drivers are less likely to self-regulate their driving efficiently like drivers not using cell phones because of this lack of awareness. This reduction in self-regulation moreover leads to an increase in both minor and major errors (Sanbonmatsu et al. 2015). To determine this, Sanbonmatsu et al. (2015) gathered participants and split them into either a control/no cell phone group and an experimental/cell phone group. These participants were then tested in a driving simulator with the control group simply running through the simulator while the cell phone group called a friend or family member and had a conversation on a hands free device. The results of this experiment indicated that even though the control group did still make errors, they had more awareness of those errors than the experimental group, and made less serious errors than the experimental group.

alone every year. The issue of driving while talking on a cell phone has become serious enough that five states have passed laws prohibiting this type of act and making it a primary offense to do so. Not only are drivers talking behind the wheel, but many have admitted to engaging in even more potentially dangerous behavior with their phones such as text messaging and surfing the internet. A distracted driver is a dangerous one. If you are focused on a conversation and your eyes are not on the road, drivers cannot be expected to make a quick and safe decision should the need for one arise. The behavior of a driver while using a cell phone has been compared to that of one driving while under the influence. Studies have shown that those who use a cell phone while driving are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who don’t.

Although many of these new technologies are possible and useful because of the cell phone, there are some downsides that come with this device. One downside is the danger of cell phones usage while operating mechanical vehicles such as cars. Because cell phones let us be so mobile, they also let us talk in situations where we are doing something else. While a person is in the middle of a discussion, he can be distracted from anything else he is doing. According to study published in "the New England Journal of Medicine," the chances of getting into an accident while on a cell phone are increased by "four hundred percent (qtd. in Hua)." Another study that was done by scientists in the "transport research laboratory" suggested that driving while using a cell phone is more hazardous then driving under the influence of alcohol at the permitted blood alcohol content level. The study says that a person on the cell phone reacts half a second slower than an alert driver (qtd. in Wrolstad). Considering the results of the research, more legislation is needed for cell phone usage, possibly banning or limiting the usage of cell phones during situations calling for a person's full attention.