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Studies show that a distracted driver is a dangerous driver
Earlier this week the Colorado House of Representatives approved a bill that would prohibit adults from talking on cell phones without handsfree devices while driving.
The first question you might be asking yourself is: why is chatting on a cell phone any different to chatting with a passenger.
Of course the obvious reason is that you are probably not holding your passenger to your ear with one hand when you are deep into an in car conversation.
The other reason is a bit more interesting in that researchers in Utah recently set out to answer this simple question:
Is talking on a cell phone while driving any more disruptive than talking to a passenger in the car?
The surprising answer is yes indeed talking on a cell phone is more distracting and thus dangerous than chatting with a passenger.
The study by researchers at the University of Utah split test subjects into two groups:
1) Those who chatted on the phone in a simulated driving scenario and
2) Those who chatted with passengers in the same scenario.
The outcome of the study was not surprising in that the group chatting on the phone was shown to be far more distracted and indeed missed more exists, and also drift from their lanes more often than the group chatting with a passenger.
What was surprising was the fact that the study also found that passengers in many situations are actually helpful to drivers by acting as co-pilots, and pointing out oncoming hazards and help navigate the car.
The current news is littered with accounts of distracted drivers who are either chatting, texting, or even tweeting causing fatal car accidents.
In California a 49-year-old women was recently sentenced to six years in prison for vehicular homicide because she rammed a stopped car killing the driver---because she was distracted paying her phone bill via her cell phone.
The Colorado Senate takes up the bill next, and I predict that like smoking in public places, talking on the phone without a handsfree device while driving in Colorado is about to be banned.
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Comments
Great article, Roman.
The one part of that study I found interesting is that it brought to light that whether you are holding the phone to your ear or using a handsfree device, the dangers are equal. So, in a nutshell, all of these laws that require a handsfree device are useless and wasted. The distraction still exists even with a headset. Pretty much just a 'feel good' law that will accomplish nothing to make anyone safer on the road.
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