Driving while on the Cell Phone

[rowrrbazzle]

From an older thread (bolding added).

@Tenspace

Talking on the cellphone changes the priority of your awareness - the road is no longer number one. There’s a term pilot’s use: situational awareness. It means being aware of your surroundings, being aware of potential hazards, and being aware of where your attention and focus lie.

If you don’t see a marked difference between where your attention lies when you’re talking on the phone and when you’re not, I’d posit that another contributer is spot on when he says that those who think a cell phone adds no danger are probably inattentive drivers to begin with.

Consider this: you have one primary awareness channel and many peripheral channels. When you talk on the phone, your primary awareness channel becomes your cell phone conversation. Your monitoring of the awareness of your surroundings becomes peripheral. Driving is no longer your number one task.

Is this true of eating? No. Other than the self-imposed limitations of maneuvering with a lapful of french fries, or attempting to turn the wheel with Whopper juice dripping down your arm, the act of eating does not change your primary awareness. The same can be said of listening to the radio or conversing with a passenger - both are passive tasks that do not require focus. Putting on makeup, reading while driving, playing with the NAV unit, or even watching a DVD(!) - these tasks all change your primary focus, thereby making you a less attentive driver and reducing your reaction time - something you need at 100%, especially if you’re driving something massive like a big SUV.

I’ll add that cell phone use directs your attention INSIDE YOUR HEAD, unlike talking to a passenger or listening to the radio.