and Driving Chatting: Good or Bad?
Chris Brock
CBIS 3213 November 30, 2005
Cell phones have grown to play a vital role in communication in today's society. Since they were introduced as those bulky car phones back in the 1980's, they have grown by leaps and bounds. As we continue to progress into the future, there is no doubt that the significance of cell phones and other cellular technologies will continue to grow. The immense popularity and widespread use of cell phones has completely changed the way that Americans, as well as people all around the world, communicate with each other and do business. According to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, over 199 million people in the United States were using cell phones as of October 2005.
Cell phones and similar devices have become household items for most Americans and because of their mobility and convenience; they can be used in almost any situation. Using cell phones while driving, for instance, is an excellent example of this. Increased reliance on cell phones has led to a rise in the number of people who use phones while driving. A study done by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that in 2004, the average number of drivers on the road using cell phones at any given moment was 8 percent. The largest demographic of these users were 16-24 year olds.
Many people would agree that the combination of inexperienced drivers with a distraction like cell phones while on the road could potentially be disastrous. It is basically just a stereotype that driving while using a cell phone is
dangerous and studies have shown that cell phone use is a factor in less than one percent of all traffic accidents in the United States. There are several states that report crash data and findings indicate that cell phone usage has no significant impact on accidents according to the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies.
Even though most reports and studies usually do not make a connection between accidents and cell phone use, there are still others that blame cell phones for distracting drivers. These people say that there are two main dangers associated with driving and cell phone use at the same time. First, drivers will most likely take their eyes off the road while dialing and fiddling with other visual features. Secondly, people can become so absorbed in their conversations that their ability to concentrate on the road is severely impaired. Although this may be true in some cases, it is definitely not the overall consensus.
Safety experts have also acknowledged that the hazard posed by cell phone conversations is not eliminated, and may even be increased, by the use of handsfree sets. Hands-free sets with dangling wires strewn about have often proved to be more distracting than a normal handset. A September 2004 study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that drivers using handsfree devices had to redial calls 40 percent of the time, compared with 18 percent for drivers using normal hand held phones. A study from the University of Utah
found that motorists who talked on hands-free cell phones were 18 percent slower in braking and took 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked. An earlier University of Utah study by the same researchers found that drivers talking on hands-free cell phones were less likely to recall seeing pedestrians, billboards and other roadside features. These findings suggest that using hands-free devices may give people a false sense of safety. Some hands-free technologies like Bluetooth are acceptable and less distracting alternatives to using normal hands-free or normal cell phones. Bluetooth technology has made talking and driving more convenient than ever, and requires the least amount of attention from the driver. However, some governments believe phones should not be used while driving at all.
As many as forty countries around the world have restricted cell phone use while driving, and some have even banned it completely. In Poland and Norway, fines for a single infraction can be as high as $1,000 US dollars. In Ireland and India, fines and prison sentences are given for using cell phones while driving. Obviously, the debate isn't as heated in the United States. Only a handful of states have full or partial bans on the phones. Only three states have full bans on using phones while driving which are New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Several other states have partial bans on them, but are mostly targeted at teenagers and drivers with provisional licenses. The issue is still being debated in many other
states as well as at the Federal government level, which would overrule any local legislation.
Object 1 Country Australia Austria Belgium Banned? Yes. Banned in all states with variable fines. Yes. Fines up to US $22 per incident. Yes. Phones can be used without a handsfree unit when the car is stationary, but not while in traffic (such as at traffic lights). Yes. Ban imposed January 2001. Variable. Banned in Newfoundland as of December 2002 with fines up to US $180. Yes. Yes. Yes. Ban imposed July 1998 with a US $60 fine for infringements. Yes. Fines of about US $100 per offense. Yes. Ban imposed January 2003 with a US $55 fine for infringements. Yes. Banned in 2003 with a 40 fine per infraction. Yes. Ban imposed in February 2001. Usage allowed without a hands-free unit only
Brazil Canada
Chile Czech Republic Denmark
Egypt Finland
France
Germany
Greece Hong Kong Hungary India
Ireland
Israel Italy Japan Jordan Kenya Malaysia Mexico Netherlands Pakistan
Philippines Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Singapore Slovenia South Africa
when the engine is switched off. Fine of 40 per infraction Yes. Yes. Yes. Not often enforced by police. Yes. Ban extended to all use of cell phones when driving, including use with a hands-free unit. Can now be enforced with prison sentences. Yes. Banned, with a US $380 and/or up to 3 months imprisonment. Yes. Yes. Fines of up to US $124 per infraction. Yes. Ban imposed in November 1999. Yes. Ban imposed in October 2001. Yes. Ban imposed in 2001. Yes. Partial. Banned only in Mexico City. Yes. Yes. Fines of over US $600 per infraction. Partial. Banned in Islamabad and other large cities. Yes. Yes. Fines can be as high as US $1,000. Yes. Yes. Yes. Ban imposed in March 2001. Yes. Yes. Yes.
South Korea
Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan
Thailand Turkey Turkmenistan United Kingdom Zimbabwe
Yes. Ban imposed in July 2001 with a US $47 fine and 15 points on the license. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. If the driver is using a reflective screen on the car, privacy laws forbid stopping the car for violating the ban. Yes. Ban imposed in May 2000. Yes. Yes. Yes. Ban imposed in December 2003. Yes.
Government statistics and respected research studies reveal the bans on wireless phone use while driving is just a small dent in knocking out driver distractions. Independent studies, various federal safety officials, and numerous politicians have all agreed that such legislation is ineffective, most likely has a negligible impact on safety, and obscures the greater issue of driver distraction. In addition, law enforcement officers in all fifty states already have the ability to cite drivers for reckless or inattentive driving.
An August 2003 report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety concluded that drivers are far less distracted by their cell phones than other common activities, such as reaching for items, changing stereo controls, grooming, eating and drinking, or talking to passengers. The study was based on the analysis
of videos captured by cameras installed in the vehicles of selected drivers. Recent research into driver distractions has been fueled by the popularity of new, invehicle technologies that may adversely affect driving performance. Technologies that are becoming popular in vehicles such as DVD players, navigation devices, and wireless Internet are becoming more of a distraction than cell phones ever could. However, while these newer technologies are compelling areas to target, the results of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study have shown that the majority of driver distractions are neither new nor technological. Rather, they are aspects of everyday driving that people are likely to seldom think about like drinking some coffee, reaching into the glove compartment, changing a CD, or observing something outside of the vehicle.
"Mobile phones are just one of many potential distractions while driving. In fact, drivers participating in a study by the Automobile Association of America listed talking on cell phones as only the 8th most common distraction out of 9. Eating, drinking, talking to other passengers, adjusting radio controls, applying make-up, and reading were among the distractive behaviors cited as more prevalent while driving." (CTIA.org)
A study done by Indiana University researchers revealed that human factors including excessive speed, inattention, improper evasive action, and internal distractions were causes in 93 percent of crashes, environmental factors in 34
percent of crashes, and vehicular factors in 13 percent of crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that driver inattention or distraction is responsible for 25 to 30 percent of police reported crashes, or about 1.2 million crashes per year.
The chart in Object 2 shows data from an AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study. The chart represents crash data collected over the course of two years (1999-2001) by the state of Pennsylvania's law-enforcement branches. The numbers displayed are percentages of specific distractions that caused crashes according to police reports.
The chart in Object 3 represents the percentage of drivers engaging in potentially distracting activities during three hours of driving. This was some of the data collected by the AAAFTS in the same study mentioned before.
In conclusion, I would say that talking on a cell phone while driving is not as big of a deal as some people make it out to be. So small tasks like chatting casually with a passenger or a quick phone call isn't necessarily a big distraction if the driver is in a familiar location and in light traffic, but a more complex driving situation, such as busy city streets or driving in an unfamiliar area, requires more attention. Most intelligent drivers know that and will often be less likely to use a cell phone or let their minds wander.
References Data from Object 1 was found at http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/ Data from Object 2 was found at http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/distractionsineverydaydriving.pdf Data from Object 3 was found at http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/distractionsineverydaydriving.pdf National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.org Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association: http://www.ctia.org AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: http://www.aaafoundation.org AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies: http://www.aei.brookings.org Insurance Information Institute: http://www.iii.org Cellular-News: http://www.cellular-news.com National Safety Council: http://www.nsc.org