ALT-1 Driver Safety the Dangers of Cell Phones
I know we can all think of at least 30 things people do in cars that cause distractions, and most live to tell about it. But the Reader's Digest has an article titled "Deadly Distractions" with some real eye-opening facts in it. (10-07 Reader's Digest)
Of course, people eat and drink (hopefully non alcoholic beverages) while driving - all the time. But that kind of almost-reflexive action doesn't require much thinking. Even pushing a channel changer on the radio only requires a fraction of a second to perform rather mindlessly.
What makes cell phone use so distracting is that most people are actually mentally involved in a 2-way conversation that requires thought-processing time. Mot drivers can carry on a conversation with passengers while driving fairly safely. The passengers can see what's going on around you, the driver, and they will hesitate in a conversation if they see a situation where a driver requires concentration on the road.
In the Reader's Digest article by Max Alexander, about 80% of accidents are caused by distractions of some sort. That includes many kinds of distractions: from one lady making cole slaw to another applying make-up, to a man who admitted curling his hair while using his knees to drive WHILE using a cell phone.
Of course, younger people are more often at fault in cell-phone-related accidents: one because they tend to use cell phones more often, but also because they have less driving experience. It is that extra distraction time that causes many accidents that might otherwise have been avoided. Of course, many who are at fault don't get a second chance. That's why so many studies are being done on this latest cause of distractions: Cell phone use in cars.
The author himself took a virtual reality driving test, while being asked to respond to simple questions that required thoughtful answers. He was warned that something could jump out in front of him at any time and all of his movements were being recorded. He was listening to a nonsense statement when the first car pulled across in front of him and he screeched to a stop. He didn't know until later that he missed the car.
Most people react to distractions while they are busy concentrating, say looking for a street address, by slowing down, which causes a delayed reaction of 3 tenths to 4 tenths of a second. That's long enough to cause an accident or avoid one. Max didn't hit any of the pop up figures or have any serious accidents during his simulated trip, but he felt "very glad" to be done after 20 minutes of required both thought-and-action simultaneously while driving.
73% of people in a Nationwide Insurance survey admitted to talking on cell phones while driving; 68% said they ate snacks; 82% adjusted a radio or CD player.
Some "addicted talkers" quit cold turkey after they have been in an accident or had a friend die in a "diversion" accident. Reality hits home.
A scientific study in Neuron magazine found that the brain "prevents interferences caused by dueling thought processes" like identifying colored images while also identifying sounds. Many kinds of multitasking efforts won't work; the brain simply can't process them at the same time. It's either one OR the other.
Five states ban the use of cell phones while driving and 16 others restrict use by young drivers. The National Safety Council learned that education of the public through public awareness campaigns produces few results. It's only when tougher laws are in effect that people pay attention. And that means saving lives.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says car accidents cost about $230 billion annually. The guesstimate is that distractions cause about 25% of all reported accidents, if people live to tell what happened. Many won't or don't admit to multitasking at the time.
"Reach out and touch someone" safely. Postpone that "connection" until later. Avoid a life-changing accident.
Save a life; it could be yours.
