Driver Distraction

Cell Phone Use

According to a recent study, drivers who become sidetracked behind the wheel end up getting into an accident three times more often than those who only concentrate on driving. This National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study proves that negligent driving causes accidents and that teenagers are the group most likely to be preoccupied with something other than driving.

Evidence obtained from the study shows that cell phone use is the behavior most likely to distract drivers. It states that the amount of crashes caused by dialing a number is almost equivalent to those caused by talking or listening.

In another study conducted later that year by University of Utah psychologists, researchers likened using a cell phone while driving to driving while intoxicated. One psychology professor claimed that talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving at the blood-alcohol limit of .08 percent; it is against the law to get behind the wheel with a BAC of this level. "Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive. The level of impairment is very similar," Professor David Strayer said.

The study also supported previous research that driving while speaking through a hands-free kit is just as distracting as talking while speaking directly into the receiver. This is primarily due to the content of the conversation creating the distraction and not the action of using the phone itself.

During the study, 40 subjects participated in a driving simulation on four different occasions. Participants drove:

• Uninterrupted.
• Using a handheld cell phone.
• Using a hands-free kit.
• With a .08 percent blood-alcohol level induced by drinking vodka and orange juice.

These "guinea pigs" followed a pace car on the video screen that made random stops, and researchers took note of their reaction time.

The handheld and hands-free cell phones had a similar effect on the drivers, which leads people to question whether it makes sense to outlaw handheld cell phone use but allow hand-free cell phones to be used while operating a motor vehicle.

Study results showed that in comparison to drivers who weren't bothered, those who had conversations on handheld or hands-free cell phones:

• Stepped on the brake nine percent slower.
• Exhibited 24 percent more fluctuation in their following patterns.
• Showed a 19 percent delay in their return to their speed prior to braking.
• Had greater odds of getting into an accident.

Three of the subjects actually rammed the pace car while talking on the phone.

When compared to those who were undistracted or talking on cell phones, drivers who had consumed alcohol to reach the blood-alcohol level of .08 percent:

• Drove slightly slower and more aggressively.
• Tailed the pace car from a closer distance.
• Were two times more likely to brake just four seconds prior to a car accident.
• Slammed on the brake 23 percent harder.

In conclusion, researchers believe that the level of impairment related to cell phone use is just as pronounced as that of driving while intoxicated.