Hold up, What’d you say? I’m driving….
Why is that many think they can talk on the phone, text while driving and not get distracted? It’s so common these days. My daughter and I even seen a lady, driving head fully looking down texting, almost hitting the next car and swerving into us! Even just “talking” on the phone is indeed distracting. “Driving is one of those tasks that demand constant attention.” (Goldstein, 2011, pg. 94)
David Strayer and William Johnson (2001) did a laboratory experiment, which involved driving tasks requiring the participants to put on the breaks rapidly for a red light. As the experiment showed, more missed lights occurred due to cell phone use while driving, as well accidents occurred. (Goldstein, 2011, pg. 94)
“Epidemiological research has found that cell phone use is associated with a four-fold increase in the odds of getting into an accident—a risk comparable to that of driving blood alcohol at the legal limit.” The Psychological research shows that whether hands on or hands off, using a cell phone while driving, the driver’s attention on the road becomes very distracted, focus is limited, and they become “even worse than if they had too much to drink.” The driver’s reaction times to actions required while driving and talking on cell phone became much slower. (American Psychological Association, 2006)
Even a “sophisticated, real-world study confirms that dialing, texting or reaching for a cell phone while driving raises the risk of a crash, or near-miss…”, which personally I find to be true. Just simply reaching for your phone or even if you have Bluetooth installed in your car, does increase those risks. Even talking on the Bluetooth, you definitely are distracted, especially if traffic is heavier, in higher merge area, or someone can come out of nowhere. It does impair, or reduce your ability to react as quickly as you would need, or perform a task, and you can miss a light by just talking even hands free. That is from my own personal experience. (CBS News, 2014)
I personally have talked on my cell before I had blue tooth, and I find that is much more distracting than Bluetooth, and have even thrown my phone down before as it became necessary and I realized how distracting it was with what was going on with traffic around me. Texting definitely a no-no, eyes are off the road. “You don’t swerve so much when you’re talking on a cellphone; you just might run through a red light…” as Strayer said. But again, from my own personal experience even with the Bluetooth, it is still just as distracting, taking your attention off the road, and slowing your reaction down, and enabling you to become more able to become in a motor vehicle accident. (CBS News, 2014)
I now pull over, even with Bluetooth if I must be engaged in a conversation. There is too many distractions on the road, especially with cellphone while driving abuse so common. I definitely agree with author of our book, that it is equivalent, if not worse than driving while impaired. I hope everyone will take into consideration the true dangers, with or without Bluetooth about talking on a cellphone and driving, and definitely won’t consider texting while driving. Be safe people. Don’t use your phone and drive.
REFERENCES
Goldstein, 2011, pg. 94
American Psychological Association, 2006, February 1, Driven to Distraction, Retrieved from:
http://www.apa.org/research/action/drive.aspx
CBS News, 2014, January 2, Distracted Driving Study: Cell phone dialing, texting, dangerous. Talking? Less so. Retrieved from: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/distracted-driving-study-cell-phone-dialing-texting-dangerous-talking-less-so/
As I was reading this blog, I kept thinking about how much it related back to me. If I am driving with someone else in the car, I am constantly telling them to hold on as I am making a turn because my train of thought is focused on making that turn rather then coming up with a response to what that person in the car is telling me. This isn’t just when I am in a car, it also happens a lot when I am cooking! Even when I am listening to music and singing along, I’ll realize I stopped singing when I am putting all of my concentration into one thing.
I found an article based on a research study from The University of Michigan where they conduct MRI scans on the brain and participants are given tasks on colors and numbers. Since the brain cannot really multitask we are using a functioning in our brain called “an executive system”. Which means our frontal brain will focus either more on an visual perception and less on auditory information (Hamilton, 2008). Our brain will keep us more focused on one sense until something else distracts us from it.
So it all makes sense to me, that when I am driving I am focusing on my visual senses and tuning out my auditory.
References:
Hamilton, Jon. “Think You’re Multitasking? Think Again”. NPR.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95256794
This was a really interesting post to read! I can relate a lot to what you describe as the risks using a cell phone has while someone is driving, even Bluetooth. Though I have occasionally texted and drove in the past, I have stopped entirely after a tragic accident happened in my local community where someone killed a bike rider while texting and driving. Just as you pointed out, having had alcoholic drinks can be deemed the equivalent of being distracted while driving, which speaks volumes to how our attention truly can be shifted to such a degree that causes severe impairment.
As our book discusses, the risks associated with divided attention can be catastrophic in the case of operating motor vehicles. In respect to both calling someone while driving and texting while driving, someone is required to shift their attention off of the road and respective hazards, while needing to articulately push specific buttons (away from the road) to achieve their goal. It’s clear that it’s a completely dangerous mission, and texting is only that much more of a hazard. Interestingly, as the book pointed out, I have thought that the reasons of why talking with passengers in the car over having the same conversation over the phone is safer would be because in the car you are in a shared environment and can visually witness an obstacle or situation on the road. This doesn’t divide attention as much as having to explain that object or same situation to someone over the phone.
Lastly, an interesting statistic I found stated, “In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.” Thus, it’s definitely worthwhile to keep undivided attention while driving!
References
Driving, . (2015). What is distracted driving?. In http://www.distraction.gov. Retrieved October 26, 2016, from http://www.distraction.gov/stats-research-laws/facts-and-statistics.html
Goldstein, E. (2011). Congitive Psychology (Third ed., pp. 92-95). N.p.: Linda Schreiber-Ganster.
Although this article is mostly about talking on the phone, it’s a reminder to myself. I am basically addicted to texting while driving. I know I have a problem. I know I can get others and myself hurt. I need to stop doing it NOW. I am so addicted to it that one day I locked my cell phone in the trunk of my car. On the way home, I kept reaching for my purse or where my cell phone would be if I had not locked it up in the trunk of my car.
This is a bad habit that is dangerous and needs to stop. I had this habit since before smart phones were out. I remember when I had a flip phone. I would be driving and I would try using one hand to send a text message. I do not have a drug/cigarettes/alcohol addiction. I believe having a cell phone and texting is my addiction that somehow can get me and others in lots of trouble even death.
In conclusion, I have come so close to rear-ending someone because of my texting habits. I am glad that my reaction time has kept me out of an accident. But next time, my reaction time might me slower and I feel like I need to stop it now. I probably should continue locking my phone in the trunk or put it on the back seat of my car. I need to stop because I can hurt others, my children and myself.
REFERENCE:
North America News – January 2012, Texas Texting Study Finds Driver Reaction Times Slower Than Previously Thought. Retrieved on 10/24/16 from http://www.alertdriving.com/home/fleet-alert-magazine/north-america/texas-texting-study-finds-driver-reaction-times-slower-previously-thought