Just say "No!" to cell phones and driving!
January 28, 2010
Road Awareness.ca invited journalists to a kart track outside Toronto last weekend to see for themselves just how much cell phone usage impacts driving performance. The event showed conclusively that talking on a cell phone, even while using a "hands free" device, can be dangerously distracting. While the public clamors for new legislation to address" the cell phone problem", Road Awareness founder Shaun de Jager feels that education is as important as passing new laws. Says de Jager:
Any distraction, including talking with a hands-free kit, seriously affected the drivers situational awareness, skill level and reaction time. One driver actually had to stop on the track to read and reply to a text message. Other drivers were observed driving more slowly so that they could engage in a text conversation or phone call. [Another] had to slow her driving by 50% so that she could still negotiate the course safely, although she still hit some of the cones on the course.
This is a message most people don't want to hear. Cell phones have become an integral part of our society. People everywhere are talking or texting constantly. Men have to call their wives from the grocery store about the special on peas. Teenagers have to be in constant contact with their friends every second. For many, not talking on the phone while driving would be like not breathing! Road Awareness thinks it is important to show people why cell phones and cars are such a dangerous mix.
Driving is the quintessential example of an unspoken social compact. We trust the other drivers out there to maintain control of their vehicles and keep us safe from harm, just as they trust us to do the same for them. Cell phone usage changes the rules of the game and leads us to violate that trust, even if unwttingly. That's where the importance of education comes in.
Road Awareness wants to let people experience for themselves how distractions of any kind can limit their driving skills. It really doesn't make any difference what the distraction is, whether it's talking on the phone, thinking about the fight they just had with your boss, trying to understand what their GPS is telling them, or listening to music loud enough to shake their fillings loose. Any time they are thinking about something other than driving, they are placing themselves and others in jeopardy.
Younger drivers are most at risk. The cell phone is such an intrinsic part of their social existence, they can't imagine ever putting it down or turning it off. The Road Awareness website has a link to a video created by highway safety authorities in the UK about teens and texting. It is graphic, violent and bloody. And every teen driver should see it before being handed the keys to the family car. Viewer discretion is advised. But for those of you who are not squeamish, here is the link.
Kudos to Shaun de Jager for organizing the Road Awareness karting event, which drew support from the Toronto police. The people who respond to traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers know that the Road Awareness message is true. Why not bring this article to the attention your own local police department and encourage them to organize a similar event? That would be the best "thank you" gift you could give to Shaun for his efforts.
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Comments
You know, I saw a video on this behavior a while back.... A study was conducted between 3 people to see which was worse, drunk driving or texting while driving. drunk driving by a control of .10, which is over the legal limit, impaired their judgment by 50 percent, whereas texting while driving impaired their judgment by a staggering 85 percent. It was pretty inspiring... needless to say I don't answer any call at all while I'm behind the wheel, and it will stay that way until I get an aftermarket head unit with bluetooth capabilities :)
That's an excellent comment. Thanks.
I thought I was immune to this stuff until one day, sitting at a traffic light and talking to someone on my phone, I "saw" the light change to green and proceeded into the intersection, only to be greeted by angry horns and a few choice words. One driver actually rolled down his window and yelled "Hang up and drive!" at me, which is where I got the idea for the title of this article.
What happened was, I saw the left turn green arrow and thought it was the normal green light. I consider myself an above average, attentive and thoughtful driver.(Don't we all?) But in that instant, I was just another idiot on the road, putting myself and others at risk because of the phone. That incident taught me a lesson.
And notice that the Road Awareness event included "hands free" driving. While a bluetooth connection IS preferable to holding a phone and trying to text on it, it is still no guarantee that a phone call won't distract you. Drive Aware!
Thank you Steve for posting this article. Allow me to add a little more info on this issue. Further to what PAE touched on, in-car distractions can (and are) compared to driving while drunk.
In the case of texting while driving, a driver is over 30x more likely to be involved in a collision. Drivers talking on a cell phone (even with a hands-free kit) are 4x more likely to be in a collision.
Additionally, studies have shown that drivers who are engaged on a phone call (even hands-free calls) display the same awareness, skill and reflexes as those who have a blood alcohol level of slightly more than 0.08% (legally drunk in North America).
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