Cell phones top driver distractions

The mere act of driving has plenty of distraction to keep drivers busy. Looking ahead, checking behind, peripheral peeking, monitoring speedometer and gauges, accelerating, braking, steering, and staying alert all take a portion of a driver’s available attention.

It’s not a new concept that intense conversation takes concentration — and during that level of concentration, human ability to handle tasks is compromised.

Please read what reader RB has to say about it:

“With regard to cell phones: I am a retired military pilot. My job for 25 years was to train pilots. During that time, I taught the importance of task saturation and how a radio (telephone) conversation can kill you.

“Over and over, I pointed out how mental conversation on a radio (or cell phone) interrupts the safe operation of an aircraft (car). With enough mental stimuli via radio (phone), I was able to distract pilots into landing without landing gear extended, missing critical checklist items, and sometimes crashing the aircraft (in simulators).

“Holding a cell phone to your ear has no more effect than holding a coffee cup to your mouth. The real danger is in the mental distraction that cell phone users are experiencing. By allowing cell phone use (hand-held or not) on our highways, we are jeopardizing the safety of the public. Please push to forbid the use of cell phones on our streets and highways.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself, RB. A motor vehicle may or may not be easier to drive than a plane is to pilot, but an automobile’s potential for mayhem is difficult to exceed. Full attention is required to successfully operate a vehicle, especially in an emergency situation. Even if a large percentage of driving is uneventful, a skilled driver is ready for the unexpected at all times. A distracted driver is not.

Lately, distraction from cell phone jabbering seems to have replaced the perennial favorite: rubbernecking (looking at roadside incidents). According to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Department, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 80 percent of crashes involved some sort of driver distraction within 3 seconds of the event. Cell phones were the No. 1 attention-robbing culprits.

So with distraction reaching a new high as an accident-causer (previously only 30 percent were blamed on distraction), and with cell phones in the new top spot, one would seem wise to pull off of the road to talk on the phone.

A fresh study out of the University of Utah showed that cell-talkers were 18-percent slower in braking, and 17-percent slower in regaining speed after braking — equivalent to the reaction shortcomings of a person who is legally intoxicated. Additionally, the study found that those distracted by phone conversations are less likely to recall seeing pedestrians, billboards, or roadside features. Maybe that is why the rubbernecking distraction is losing ground — the cell users don’t even see the “fascinating” item they may once have ogled.

When a driver’s attention level is down due to distraction, statistics suggest that the driver is four times more likely to have an injury-causing accident. Why not try to stay focused on driving?

Position No. 2 on the driver distraction list has a clear winner too: drowsiness. It has now displaced other previous activities vying for position, such as reaching, leaning, eating, drinking, grooming, reading, writing, and trying to shoo a wayward insect. Maybe everyone is tired from all that talking on their mobile telephones.

Over 40 countries have now taken action, forbidding cell phone use while driving, and several states in the United States are following suit. Businesses have taken a lead on this front, as the majority of employers now prohibit use of phones for fleet drivers, and other employees that use a motor vehicle for company business. These firms have seen the loss of life, and loss of profit (due to lawsuits) that can accompany cell phone distraction.

One finding from all the studies is unanimous — no one is driving optimally while they are on the phone, when they are drowsy, or if they are engaged in any distraction. Again, a distracted driver can often operate unscathed — it’s those times when a quick reaction is needed that the accidents occur. Why lessen your chances of survival on the roadway by succumbing to distraction?

Please work to eliminate distraction while driving, and focus on the main event, which is operating your vehicle among others. Driving well uses up all of the attention you have at your disposal — especially if other drivers are distracted!