Is cell phone use in cars really dangerous?

[Tenspace]

@cellphoneuser

I don’t believe that cell phone use is any more dangerous than eating, smoking, putting on make-up, or any of the other distracting things we engage in while driving.

Cecil used statistical evidence to show a cause-effect relationship to cell phone use and accidents; “One study of 456 accidents in Australia requiring a hospital visit (McEvoy et al, BMJ, 2005) found that in nine percent of cases (40 crashes) the driver had been talking on a cell phone during the ten minutes prior to the accident, based on phone records.” I say, “So What?” How many drivers had the radio on when they crashed? Many more than were talking on their cell phones, I’m sure. Does this show that listening to the radio is dangerous, or just that the radio happened to be on when the accident occurred?

Cell phone use is rampant on our highways and byways. The fact that someone has an accident while conversing may often be coincidental rather than being a contributing factor.

I eat while driving once or twice a week. I use my cell phone while driving 10 to 20 times per week. Am I more likely to be involved in an accident while eating or while talking on the phone?

Has anyone studied reaction times of those who are partaking of a Big Mac, applying eye-liner, or yelling at the kids and compared those to reaction times of cell phone users?

I believe this is all a bunch of crap. Is cell phone use distracting? Yes, a little. Is it worse than any of the other examples I cited above? I don’t think so.

Would you be willing to listen to reasons why cell phone use is more dangerous than the other examples you gave?

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.