Cell Phones and Driving Revisited
Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:50PM EDT
See Comments (3)
The quaint, main intersection in our steepled town center is a frightening tangle of cars at about 8:45 a.m. every weekday, the height of the rush to school and work. There's no light, so maneuvering turns at a point where three lanes of traffic come together relies on custom, eye contact, and patience. I was talking today to our crossing guard who steers children through it all every weekday morning, and she estimated that 90 percent of drivers who cross this maelstrom are talking on cell phones.
Yikes.
Did I mention that we live in a state where talking on cell phones while driving is illegal? Believe me, I'm not casting stones. I do it, too, when my kids or husband call as I'm thick in the afternoon carpool. But I have started to not answer the phone unless it's from one of my kids at home while I'm out. And if any of my kids is in the car when it rings, they answer it.
Chris Null has driven home (sorry) the reasons why talking and driving—and even worse, texting and driving—are to be avoided. The latest research shows we're not listening. A January 2007 driver behavior survey by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that 73 percent of 1,200 drivers questioned talk on cell phones while driving. Cell phone use in cars was even higher among young drivers.
Couple that with this 2006 driving study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which found that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some kind of driver inattention within seconds of the event.
From the findings:
The most common distraction for drivers is the use of cell phones. However, the number of crashes and near-crashes attributable to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening. Dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening.
Why do something we know can divert our attention from the road when 99 percent of these calls are not necessary?
We can't say it enough: Don't talk and text on cell phones while driving.
Related: Drivers Ignoring Cell Phone Bans
LINKS: Cell Phones and Driving [Insurance Information Institute]
Transportation Institute releases findings on driver behavior and crash factors [Virginia Tech]
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2 Posted by jmcmt@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:37PM EDT Report Abuse
Since it said talking and listening were the main factors for inattention - I guess you cannot talk or listen to any of your passengers. How about it is just the poor driving habits and aggressive driving behavior that causes the accidents. I have been talking and listening to passengers for years and never had an accident - and as for on my cell phone - I use a hands-free unit so I can stay focused on the road. So unless you are going to ban ALL TALKING while driving I think this is ridiculous. And I have also read studies where it is changing the radio station has a higher incidence of accidents then cell phone conversations. Also eating while driving - how about those that put on makeup or shave while driving.
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3 Posted by mmickle@prodigy.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:23PM EDT Report Abuse
distraction is the key factor. cell phones are just the current scapegoat. the studies need to factor in more than just the current cause - for example, increased traffic, age of drivers, previous driving history of those involved in accidents, etc. i have had cell phones for about 17 years and NEVER had an accident, not even a close call, because of it. the people who caused the few minor accidents i have been in were SPACED OUT thinking about something else (and admitted it) or driving excessively fast for the road. no cell phone was in use in any of these few cases - they just were not paying attention. i do not have text messaging, and if i did, i would not use it while driving. dialing isn't a big deal with one-touch or voice activated dialing. if cell phones were not in use, some other distraction would impact these drivers. INATTENTION is the key problem. if not cell phones, something else would cause these inattentive drivers to get into accidents. most of my jobs have required 40-60 minutes of commute time. i avoid highways because people drive like maniacs on them. they do on the secondary roads too, but not at 80mph!! i have seen numerous cases of stupidity on the roads over the many years i've been driving, and these incidents have absolutely NOTHING to do with cell phones, just incredibly stupid drivers. how do we get THEM off the roadways??
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1 Posted by danielledgarcia on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:35PM EDT Report Abuse
I have to agree that talking/texting on cell phones while behind the wheel of an automobile is just simply thoughtless and ... dare I say it? Stupid. Come on, we've all done this, and know even while we are sending off the oh so important "message"we are aware even at that selfishly absorbed time that it is not safe behavior... and should we have children, this is intensified greatly. Laws? Penalties? Help! No one is paying attention anymore while on the road... but, accidents happen, and to us, and those we hold dear .... I've been pulled over for lesser things.... I say we make it unlawful to do so... whatever "needs" to be said, can wait....99 % of the time...any thoughts?