Dangers of Smart Phones and Driving
The Internet is abuzz with discussions about the dangers of smart phones and driving these days. There’s Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s VirginiaTech Transportation Institute’s (that’s a mouthful) recent “New Data Provides Insight Into Cell Phone Use and Driving Distraction” study (http://www.vtti.vt.edu/PDF/7-22-09-VTTI-Press_Release_Cell_phones_and_Driver_Distraction.pdf) as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study from way back in 2003 that was only recently fully released (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/files/status-summary.pdf) thanks to some investigative reporting by The New York Times.
There was no need for secrecy on the NHTSA’s part—there really isn’t any reason for the big hoopla about any such study. It’s all common sense, really. But that doesn’t stop so many people from doing it anyway.
The Basic Facts
So according to the NHTSA’s 6-year-old study, driving while using a cell phone increases the risk of having a crash—even if it’s hands-free. Granted, hands-free is less dangerous than traditional cell phones (particularly if you can voice dial in lieu of dialing by hand), but I’ve heard people claim that hands-free isn’t dangerous at all because, as they state casually, “What’s the difference between that and talking to a passenger in your car?”
Well, unless your passenger is totally oblivious, he or she can see the traffic around you and knows when to stop talking if you’re making a risky turn or approaching a dangerous intersection. A passenger can point out things you might not have noticed, like a wild dog running on the loose or a group of kids playing dangerously close to the road. Chances are you’ll feel more obligated to concentrate on and continue a phone conversation (since the person you’re talking to may be confused if you stop talking to pay better attention to your surroundings) than one you’re having casually with a passenger, particularly if you’re on the phone for business.
There are those basic facts and then there’s the fact that phones have become more developed since 2003. Let’s take texting for example. The number of text messages Americans sent in a year doubled between 2001 and 2004 from 250 billion to 500 billion and doubled yet again through 2008—to one trillion! Obviously, more people are texting now than they were in 2003.
And guess what? The VirginiaTech study found that while talking on a cell phone while driving increases your risk of a crash by 1.3 and dialing a cell phone increases your risk by 2.8, texting on your cell phone increases your risk of getting into an accident by 23.2. Another (closed road) experiment by Car and Driver magazine found texting while driving to be more dangerous than driving drunk! This kind of data makes sense… You’re not even looking at the road when you’re texting!
Smart Phones Make It Way, Way Worse
And now we’ve the world in our palms. Smart phones bring the Internet to us wherever we go, making it easy to not only text, but send e-mails, surf the Internet, and play games. We’ve got apps for things we didn’t even know we needed apps for. There are apps to make sure we’re always available when someone wants to get a hold of us. But when we’re driving, we shouldn’t be available.
And don’t tell me you can’t do without them, either. People actually existed in a time before rampant cell phones (including a good amount of us who have a smartphone surgically attached to our hip at the moment!). They drove to work and worried about traffic. Business was still conducted. People were still friends without having to say hello every minute of the day.
We’ve gotten too used to being reachable at all times. In fact, there’s a psychological condition called “reachability” that’s developed due to excess cell phone use that experts say is just as addictive as nicotine. But come on, people. Driving is never extremely safe to begin with. You need all of your wits about you, you need to drive defensively, and you need to be ever alert.
I promise you whatever it is you’re using a cell phone for, it can wait. If it can’t, there’s such a thing as pulling over or sitting in a restaurant or parking lot. Look into taking the bus or train and work and type away on your smart phones as you please. Just don’t put you, your loved ones, and the rest of us on the road in danger because you feel addicted to your smart phone. If you feel that addicted that you can’t stand turning it off while driving, please admit your problem and seek help!