Hands-Free Calls = Brain-Free Driving
Try a little experiment; read the next two paragraphs of this blog… wait, not yet!... and at the same time, have someone nearby speak to you, to convey some specific information. When you’re done, you might have absorbed the information you were reading, or you might have understood what the speaker was saying to you, but I doubt you were able to fully grasp both. Now you have some insight into the newly-hot issue of cell-phone use by drivers.
The National Safety Council this week proposed a nationwide ban on cell-phone use by folks behind the wheel. Five states already have laws against making calls holding the phone to your ear (including a trifecta for the Tri-State; New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut). But what made the NSC proposal noteworthy is that it would outlaw even the use of hands-free devices.
The research on cell-phone-induced distracted driving is overwhelmingly clear: it’s very dangerous. It causes tens of thousands of accidents a year, and an estimated 2600 additional highway deaths. This excellent piece by Slate’s William Saletan has numerous links to the much of the data, and it shoots down all the usual arguments against such a ban:
“Want to turn on your car radio or music player? Fine. Listening is easier than talking, and you can mentally or physically shut it off when necessary. Want to chat with your passenger? Fine again. Studies indicate that passenger conversations are less distracting than phone calls, apparently because you're sharing and often referring to the same environment”
It’s the same as the reading/listening experiment above. The human brain is a marvelous thing, but it doesn’t allow people to focus—truly, safely focus—on two things at the same time.
The cell phone industry has come out against such federal legislation:
There are 278-million reasons people are already predicting the NSC proposal doesn’t have a prayer of passing. That’s the total number of cell phone users in the U.S., and at least 80-percent of them admit to sometimes talking while driving. But the National Safety Council isn’t a fly-by-night radical group. It fought for decades, successfully, to encourage greater seat belt use, and there was enormous resistance to that 30-years ago. The problem with a similar law to discourage cell-phone use by drivers is that it would be so difficult to enforce; if a driver is talking into a microphone clipped to the sun visor, how would a cop know about that or prove that? This change is going to have to come not from Congress, but from drivers/cell-phone users themselves, coming to a better understanding of the dangers of what they’re doing… hopefully an understanding that can be reached without a cell-phone-related accident happening to them.
Comments: 14
It amazes me how many people still talk on the cell phone without the use of a hands free device and drive!!! Maybe a total ban would be a good idea. Some people just will never get it...
It amazes me how many people still talk on the cell phone without the use of a hands free device and drive!!! Maybe a total ban would be a good idea. Some people just will never get it...
It seems that the big distraction in hands free cell phone use would occur in the dialing process. Beyond that, I'm still having trouble understanding the difference between the distraction of an in-car conversation and that from talk over a speakerphone. Even your opening experiment, Jim, places a nearby person in competition with reading your words, not someone on the phone. And contrary to your point about chatting with passengers, the Saletan blog makes no reference to that as a lesser hazard. I'm still looking for data from THAT research. But by all means, please pull over to dial.
I have to say, I'd be against such a ban. I think hands free devices should be allowed, as they are now. I admit, I occasionally use speaker because I can't find my hands free device, but I don't feel it's distracting at all and most/all phones offer voice control. I think the distractions occur when someone tries to look at the phone, such as with texting. I think drivers just need to be more aware. When I'm driving, even if using my phone, my driving is the priority. Sometimes I just say, "Hold on minute." and stop the conversation until I can again safely resume.
What about the people that read the newspaper, put on makeup, shave, eat, or do any number of things while driving?
I find the claim that talking on a phone is more distracting than talking to a passenger. When conversing with a passenger you frequently glance over to them, taking your eyes off the road.
I'd be interested in knowing the breakdown of cell phone accidents. How many were using a hands free device and how many weren't? How many were talking vs. texting? How many were teenagers?
It would be pretty hard to enforce unless you actually see the phone to the ear. With a headset or speaker phone you can keep your phone out of sight. Are they going to stop everyone whose lips are moving? "Officer, I was only singing to the radio!" =)
It is of course the safest to stay driving when you are driving. Talking on cell phone should be avoided as much as possible, at most like one minute max.
Hands-free phone call make it safer to degree. Use one hand to hold the phone and talk and another hand on the wheel is the most dangerous setting. Use bluetooth headset or a speakerphone is a little better. Nevertheless, the driver is still distracted to a degree. And of course, sending text message should be banned - your eyes are totally off the road and on the screen. For those who doing crazy stuffs when driving is even more unbelievable.
And, admit it, even we live in modern day, but often time we are not as multitasking as we like to think, at least we can hardly pay 100% at more than one thing. For me, I prefer to totally focus on one job and one job only, until it is finished, then I will go to the next one.
That just reminded me of something I meant to add to my original post. Ever since cells without a hands free devices (which I'm fine with) were banned here, people just stop wherever they are. They barely pull off the road and stop near intersections...which is also very dangerous. I was getting read to turn right and the guy in front of me also had his blinker on to go right, when all of a sudden he just stopped for his phone. I almost hit him!
I think if you want to ban cell phones in cars, then we need to just clean house. Ban children riding in cars because they are a major distraction to a driver. Ban CD players because
the driver is distracted while looking for a CD to play. Then there is the radio. Get rid of that device as well. Changing stations is a major distraction. Then, there is the issue of eating while driving. My wife and I do that on trips when we don't want to waste half hour or so sitting at some fast food restaurant when we are in a hurry to get to where we are going. I DO agree with teens not talking or texting while
they are driving as they aren't experienced Drivers. I hope that is never passed in my lifetime. Many business men and women get a lot
of work accomplished using their cell phones while they are sitting in traffic. That is just the way this fast paced world is. Deal with it.
Good point about playing CD's. Without a multi-cd changer, using the dashboard player can be an invitation to disaster for anyone not wanting to go too long without continuous new music. It actually requires the use of BOTH HANDS! So yes, driving when distracted by that action should be a violation even without some "law against CD changing". But good heavens, that's a very very long way from speaking to someone - in or out of the vehicle - while still using both hands to drive.
I'm SO impressed with the quality of comments coming in tonight. As you could see from the post, I come down slightly in favor of doing everything possible to limit driving and cell=phone talking.. simply because of a personal viewpoint: when my wife is driving with our kids in the car and talking to me on the phone, I try and take care of our business of fast as possible and get her off that phone. I just want her to have her fullest attention on the road and the safety of her and the boys.
But having said that, those of you who thought a nationwide ban was just too much made great points. One thing I'll point out that a few of you referred to, discouraging teenagers doing it: besides the handful of states that have banned driving while phoning, more states now are legislating to try and keep new drivers from cell=phone distraction. And yes, there certainly are lots of other activities that could be singled out; why not ban eating in the car?.. that's pretty enforceable.. the cop should just watch from the entrance ramp where folks drive back onto 95 from the state-sanctioned fast food drive-thru!
But SERIOUSLY, the best point was made by the commenter who said, basically, that multi-tasking is a myth. There really is no such thing as truly, TRULY focusing on more than one thing at a time. Meditation practices illustrate this. A good lesson to keep in mind for a lot of things, not just driving and yakking on the phone.
It is a known fact that you CANNOT concentrate on 2 things at the same time. A person would probably be listening to what he/she is interested in most. Of course, these days with everyone on the cell phone, it would be the phone that would win a prize....Lee *on the phone alot, but stays off the cell phone, because, I do believe if you put them to your ear they can cause brain cancer. I saw a man driving with phone who had a road rage attack in a most peculiar manner. STAY OFF THE PHONE ON THE ROAD - IT IS NOT SAFE.
It is a known fact that you CANNOT concentrate on 2 things at the same time. A person would probably be listening to what he/she is interested in most. Of course, these days with everyone on the cell phone, it would be the phone that would win a prize....Lee *on the phone alot, but stays off the cell phone, because, I do believe if you put them to your ear they can cause brain cancer. I saw a man driving with phone who had a road rage attack in a most peculiar manner. STAY OFF THE PHONE ON THE ROAD - IT IS NOT SAFE.
If you drop a cigarette or cigar in the car, it could cause you to have an accident. I know, because hubby and I *only once in awhile, smoke cigars in the car. It does make me alittle nervous. Last time I smoked one, I got dizzy, because, I inhaled the cigar smoke. No more stogies for me. Now, back to my original thought. I think smoking in cars should be banned, because, it is a distraction. If you must stuff something in your mouth, eat a piece of candy or chew on gum, or get a patch...whatever...Lee
I have lost some important calls, because IO cannot hold on to two calls, or people just get fed up waiting for you to answer your other calls. My phone is always on (at home only). I do not ever use a cell phone, primarily, because, I don't want people to know where I am and what I do. I am too busy to talk on the phone, on my somewhat limited free time, so I talk ONLY IN THE HOUSE. I must say that it really annoys me when I am out with friends and more than half of them are talking to someone, like their kids, boyfriends, husbands, hairdressers, chinese food takeout place, etc.etc.etc. I also mentioned that I think the cell phone is as bad as a microwave oven. I do have a microwave oven, but I don't talk to it. It also annoys me when I cannot find a pay phone. There are only afew around these days. Any comments, because, they would be welcome....or is it just me that is annoyed....Lee can'tstandyacostanza
Jim,
My kids won tickets to a concert. Their names were on the radio. They went biserk. I was glad they were home and not in the car. This all happened when Michael Jackson was still good looking, and had not had his face reshaped without a nose....Lee