Cell phones, small, sleek, portable as they are, while proving to be a great convenience for their users, in the last 2 decades have proved to be an increasing factor in causing motor vehicle accidents, injuries and even deaths. While you can use your cell phone to call for an ambulance if you are on the road, texting and driving may be reason for that call.
The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that of 1.4 million crashes in the US, a quarter involve cell phones. There are 6,000 fatalities a year caused by distracted driving, linking cell phones as the possible reason. NSC estimates that more than 1 out of every 4 motor vehicle crashes the use of cell phone was involved.
The NSC has recently released a white paper aimed at explaining the limitations of the human brain as it pertains to multitasking – a process it cannot do safely while driving. The paper is titled, “Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while using hands-free cell phones is risky behavior.”
Referencing more than 30 scientific studies and reports, the paper describes how using a cell phone, hands-free or handheld not only impairs driving performance, but it also weakens the brain’s ability to capture driving cues. For example, drivers who use cell phones have a form of inattention blindness – they have a tendency to “look at” but not “see” up to 50 percent of their surroundings. Hence, they have trouble seeking and identifying potential hazards, and responding to unexpected situations on time. Distracted driving is a lethal problem.
While most drivers believe using a cell phone while driving is dangerous, 11 percent of all drivers are using cell phones, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.
Laws restricting the use of cell phones while driving are slowly spreading across America. Although no state bans all cell phone use by all drivers, 25 states and the District of Columbia ban all cell phone use by novice drivers. Also, bus drivers in 18 states (including Massachusetts), and D.C. are banned from using a cell phone when passengers are present.
Deeming sending text messages while driving to be more dangerous than talking on the phone, 25 states, including New Hampshire, ban texting while driving. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only seven states and D.C. also ban drivers from talking on handheld devices.
However, the NSC white paper shows that this is not enough. Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO says, “Several states and municipalities have passed legislation allowing hands-free devices while driving. These laws give the false impression that hands-free phones are a safe alternative, when the evidence is clear they are not. ”
She says, “Understanding the distraction of the brain will help people make the right decision and put down their cell phones while driving,”
Here are a few simple Safety Tips for all drivers, especially teenagers:
1. PAY ATTENTION. “I never saw her/him!” – is the explanation most drivers give in the case of an accident. Inattention and driver errors are the root of most accidents.
2. DON’T TEXT WHILE DRIVING. Texting while driving is dangerous and can cause serious injury and / or death, as the numbers above clearly show. To see this in action, check out the Distractology 101 course with a driving simulator recently launched by Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation. Or, you can click here to try the multi-tasking game on the New York Times website.
3. If you must call from a cell phone from the road, USE A HANDS-FREE SET as much as possible. And, remember tip #1.
We should all be more careful of our driving as it affects other people as well. And as prom season approaches, we should expect more teenage drivers on the roads – some of which will still be texting and driving, while others might operate under the influence. Try to talk to the young drivers you know and warn them of the dangers they face due to inattentive driving.
And, again, keep your eyes on the road and drive safely.
