The impact of using cell phones on driving performance and traffic safety

Abstract

Increased reliance on cell phones and other advanced in-car technology are regularly engaging drivers behind the wheel to a variety of multitasking activities. Dual task activity like cell phone conversations are cognitively engaging interactive information delivery system that disrupts driving performance posing as an emerging highway safety problem. The exact nature and degree of hazard may be compared or treated as equivalent to that of an impaired driver. Drivers should be restricted on the use of cell phones while they are behind the wheel and should be considered as against the safety provisions of responsible driving and traffic safety.

The impact of using cell phones on driving performance and traffic safety: Seeing the need to restrict use of cell phones by drivers while driving

Legislations prohibiting the use of cell phones by drivers behind the wheel presented an argument on the benefits of using technology as a leverage to use hand held devices like cell phones while commuting to work which helps make an individual’s transit time more productive. The demand to use cell phones by drivers creates deadly distractions that may cause vehicular accidents and should not be made legal. Driving is a complex activity. It involves a combination of task. Driving itself is in one way or another considered as multitasking like navigating position, maintaining distance, covering speed limits and reacting to road events. If the driver adds another task that will engage them and distract their focus then he is exposing himself and people with or around him to potential risk of vehicular collisions or accidents.







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Observations and events that supports claim not to make legal cell phone use while driving

When one answers a call he has to hold the handset and remove hand from the wheel and controls. When attempting to make a call they need to take their eyes off the road to their cell phones keypad to dial. Drivers multitasking tend to concentrate more on the conversation than driving. They exhibit slower reactions in braking because they were cognitively engaged. Slow brake reactions even show likelihood of rear-end collisions. Even if one is waiting for the traffic lights or at a standstill waiting for traffic to clear, conversations may not end yet so he will be slower in his reaction to take the controls.

Handheld and hands free cell phones have the same impaired concentration effects (Walker & Herrmann 2004). When a driver’s focus is severely impaired it puts its vehicle occupants and pedestrians at risk. Cell phones are the most dangerous distraction taken for granted by majority of the motorist. One may naturally observed that majority of drivers using the cell phone has higher conditional probability to recognize roadway signs or objects to which they had fixated on while driving. Distraction is substantiated by the fact that drivers less likely remember objects in the driving environment. They induce something like inattention blindness characterized by failing to see or create durable memory of those objects they happen to see and passed during the drive. This simply put the vehicle occupants and pedestrians at risk for a possible crash. The mere fact that the inherent capacity of limited human attention span was placed at such a cognitive engaging diversion increased the risk of vehicular accidents.




Engaging to cell phone conversations is seen to be more dangerous during maneuvers especially when emerging on a freeway. Cell phone conversations demand higher attention than other normal distractions in the car because the matter of conversation is more serious and requires the use of brain functions to mentally process information. The conversation could be work related that requires a little bit of planning or negotiations. A driver can’t do that kind of multitasking activity when he has a lot to focus his eyes down the road. It would be best to pull over and take the call if the need to receive or send messages is really urgent. Naturally the government has every right to restrict the use of cell phone and consider it as not legal for traffic safety and prevent possible losses in terms of life. Working memory tasks creates impaired attention brought about by the type of conversation initiated in cell phone conversations which impacts driver’s driving performance and traffic safety.




Conclusion

The trauma, broken bones and financial aftermath of a crash are overwhelming. It directly causes a pain the pocket and pain in the body. Cell phones have its magnitude of benefits but may cause severe vehicular collisions if not regulated. Cell phones should not be allowed for use by drivers while driving because it causes cognitive form of distractions that leads to impaired driving and alters performance variables resulting from mild rear collisions to real life taking vehicular accidents. As dual task demands increase, drivers driving performance also deteriorates. The physiological effect of driving and talking on a cell phone decreases peripheral vision of the driver and is a very dangerous combination. The use of cell phone while driving is a matter of taking the choice to submit oneself and other people to greater risk of life taking situations. Cell phones should not be allowed and should not be made legal for use by drivers while driving. Cell phones presents more of a risk than a benefit when use while driving.

References

Walker, W. R. & Herrmann D. (2004). Cognitive technology: Essays on the transformation of thought and society. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc.

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