Cell Phones Affected Driving Performance-Using Research

Distracted driving, the act of driving while engaged in other activities, has long been a dangerous epidemic on America’s roadways. While there’s a wide range of activities that distract American drivers, texting while driving has become increasingly prevalent, as the popularity of mobile devices has risen since the 1990s (Noder, 2009). In American culture, which has become ever more dependent on cellphones, many experience the desire to always be accessible – even while on the go (Noder, 2009). This desire, motivated by both social and business objectives, leads many to use their phones behind the wheel. Eighty-five percent of Americans, a number

Nearly 6,000 people are killed connecting to the outcome of cell phone use while driving, according to Edmunds.com (7). Texting and talking on the phone throughout the time that a person is driving can have deadly consequences, but people still don’t seem to want to give up risking their life. There are many issues that can happen while on the road related to the usage of cell phones. It is important to stop people from looking at their phones while driving, because it is extremely distracting and not safe. Even hands free devices are not as safe as they seem to be. There have to be consequences for people using their cell phones while driving in order to improve the people’s safety. According to Edmunds.com, cell phones are known as distractions everywhere in the world and have created several concerns to several countries (9).

“Distracted driving refers to any nondriving activity that takes motorists ' attention away from the safe operation of their vehicles” (Leone). Every time a driver gets in a vehicle and decides to use a cell phone to have a conversation, either talking or texting, they put themselves and others lives in danger. The convenience a cell phone and the capabilities they offer have made them a substantial distraction and a cause of significant source of vehicle accidents and fatalities. There are three different types of distractions: visual, manual and cognitive. Cell phone use is the most dangerous distraction because it involves all three different types of distraction and plays a part in the increasing issue of distracted driving. Even

Distracted driving is becoming the one of the highest causes of fatal accidents in youth. People are becoming more and more dependent on their mobile phones due to the economic and social benefits they provide. With advancement of technology and the more widespread use of smartphones distracted driving is become more dangerous than driving impaired. Driving itself needs full focus and attention with new technologies more focused on making mobile phones more easily compatible with cars it has become increasingly difficult to eliminate the problem cell phones and mobile phones cause when linked to each other. Studies show those using mobile devices while driving are 4-6 times more likely to get into a accident, With the risk so high many cell phone use while driving has been banned in many different countries around the world(fatal distractions). The second alternative is hands-free devices allowing drivers to accept calls, compile and send text messages with ought the use of hands, but using a mobile phone whether it be hands-free or not still hinders performance and deviates the focus of the driver. Car companies have recently countered this issue by implementing new technology in vehicles. For instance, cars now come equipped with built in blue tooth and exceptional pairing applications. This technology leads to inconclusive results of using a hand-held device.

1). Texting and using a cell phone are the two most common distractions while driving (“Distracted” para. 1). It Can Wait campaign has started to stop drivers from using handheld devices (“Distracted” para. 3). Distractions affect one’s driving performance (“Distracted” para. 5). Drivers are distracted around half the time they drive (“Distracted” para. 5).15% to 25% of crashes on all levels are caused by distraction (“Distracted” para. 5). Texting increases the driving risk, even more than regular cell phone use (“Distracted” para. 5). When cops fill out crash reports, the states should keep track of them (“Distracted” para. 6). There are many distraction while driving that may cause the driver to take focus off the road (“Distracted” para. 8). Some distraction that everyone does is : changing the radio or a CD, talking to passenger, and observing the event outside the vehicle (Distracted para. 8). There are effects on telematics on driving behaviors (“Distracted” para. 9). Some say that the electronic device companies need to inform the public about the real use of these devices (“Distracted” para.

Despite an effective way of communication, using cell phones during driving results in the distracted attention of driver increasing road safety concerns.

Using a cell phone while driving has become the biggest manual distraction while driving.  According to a study, conducted by The University of Utah (2013),

Although some people say believe that cell phones are good in case of an emergency, the implementation of cell phones is distracting drivers and leading to increases in crash percentages, elevates the percentage of teen deaths and influxes in insurance rates of teen drivers. Distracted driving is a growing problem in today's society. It causes countless deaths every year. This problem has progressed over the years due to the progress in mobile devices. The advance of cell phones has made distracted driving even more of a problem. Texting and driving is a very common problem because of the progression of cell phones. Many people think that five seconds is the minimal amount of time that drivers take away from the road when they are trying to

During the past few years, consumers, politician, academics, and interest groups have expressed growing concern about the safety of using cell phones in cars and trucks. Cell phone usage while driving has become a growing threat to students and parents alike as the number of accidents in our community continues to grow. Some people say the use of cell phones while driving is not the only distraction to drivers but holding conversion with passengers, tuning to radio stations, and putting on make-ups also distract drivers’ attention from the roads. The use of cell while driving should be banned because it distracts drivers’ attention from the road, it prevents the use of both hands properly, and it causes death.

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

Often adults explain that while in the car commuting or driving around time, that is some of their only time to make or take calls. On the other hand, majority of respondents to the survey given, they support laws that ban talking on cell phones, texting, or emailing while driving. When an individual decides to distract their self, they are sacrificing and impending their ability to concentrate on the road.

In an effort to increase drivers’ safety, many motor vehicle and cellphone manufacturers have developed hands-free technologies. These technologies have widely been viewed as an effective solution for motorists. Based on a recent study, however, drivers may be just as distracted by hands-free technologies.

The effect of using a hand-held cellular phone and listening to radio broadcast on driving performance will be explored. There are many careless drivers on the road who are mostly talking on the hand-held cell phone. It is predicted that using a hand-held phone would take the driver’s attention away and would cause driving slowly. Since many accident reports show that cell phone use while driving is dangerous it is questionable if listening to radio will also be detrimental on driving task. Many people turn on the radio for entertainment or to fight from drowsiness especially if there is no other passenger in the vehicle. It is predicted that having a conversation with using a hand-held cell phone while driving will decrease the driving performance, while listening to a radio broadcast will not have significant effect. Important implications for the results for driving performance and for future research will be discussed.

There are several studies related to the effect of cell phone use on driving performance and these studies share very similar findings. In one study, researchers Lesch and Hancock wanted to know if drivers were aware of their driving performance when using a cell phone. The driver’s driving performance was associated with the driver’s confidence level and distraction level. In particular, the higher the confidence level, the better the driving performance was shown by the driver. The study found that male drivers had a greater confidence level than females, while

Staying in touch trough a text is instrumental in the lives of teens. The inevitable constant distraction that flutters through our brains is endless when we drive from place to place. Cellphones are indeed, probably the best innovation that has surfaced but has also pose many threats when it comes teens and adults using their cellphones while driving. It is clear that despite cellphones being a great means of communications, using them during driving results in the distraction of the driver’s road safety. So, why do so many teens use their phones while driving and what are some of the long-term effects that can result from this.