Essay On Assigning And Driving Experiment

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.

In the article “How The Brain Reacts” by Marcel Just and Tim Keller, the authors describe how they use science to show the brains reaction to what is happening around it when on the road. “Behavioral studies have shown that talking on a cellphone diverts the driver’s attention and disrupts driving performance.” They

To investigate the dangers of texting while driving, a true experiment is needed to determine if texting is a cause of traffic accidents. A true experiment is thought to be the most accurate type of experimental research, and it is the only type that can establish a cause and effect relationship. Thus, a true experiment can find if texting is a cause that affects traffic accidents. To begin, the experiment will take place on a major road, located in an urban city because a large number of fatal traffic accidents occur in urban settings, when vehicles are traveling less than thirty miles per hour. Random assignment will be used to select participants, and place them into two equal groups, so the sample size is representative of age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic level. Random assignment helps eliminate bias between tech savvy teenagers and older adults, or the use of technology between different ethnicities, or income levels. The experiment will include a control and experimental group, and the manipulated variable is texting while driving. The control group will be instructed to drive through the mapped out course, without a cell phone present in the car. However, the experimental group will drive through the same course, with cell phones that are receiving text messages. The experimenters will have a camera in the car that helps them collect data from the both groups. Each driver will be evaluated on, the number of times they send a text message, the number of

Students will carefully observe acts of aggression and prosocial behavior on television, report their observations, and analyze their data to draw conclusions.

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.

researchers at the University of Utah people who drive while talking on their cell phones

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.

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),

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.

Cell phones and the use of electronic devices is a huge concern in my life as they are taking over this generation. Our reaction time when using a cell phone is very important as many people often zone out when using a cell phone which could lead to a person walking into danger. Such as walking in front of a fast moving car while you are on your phone and getting injured. I feel that today’s generation needs to be aware of what is around them, especially when they are using a cell phone and this experiment will show people how they zone out while using their cell phone, showing them what could actually happen to them.

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.