Upon their introduction in the 1980s, cell phones were dedicated to the privileged segment of the general population. However, their usage has become prevalent in the modern society and as such has become household items in a majority of families. According to Yan (2015), the usage of cell phones has increased seventeen-fold in terms of subscriptions. The mobility element associated with cell phones has allowed their usage even while driving. Based on previous reports and incidents, this occurrence has been indicated to be dangerous as the use of cell phones while driving has increased the risk that is often associated with the distraction resulted from their usage. Even though this practice is common, drivers have persisted in their usage and as reported by Lissy, Cohen, Park, and Graham (2012), increased the incidence of road accidents resulting in fatalities, placing at risk, the driver as well as the road user. According to a study carried out on drivers, overall Risk Relative (RR) resulting from cell phone use while driving when compared to the lack of cell phone use while driving was 1.38.Regarding gender, the RR result was 1.11 for men and 1.21 for women (Lissy et al, 2012).
As an outcome of the huge number of cell phone use associated accidents, various jurisdictions have regulated the use of handheld devices, while in some, banned complete use of cell phones while driving. Currently, no state in the United States has banned cell phone usage while driving. The extent reached in accordance with this goal is that of regulated cell phone usage. This paper will expound on the issue of cell phone usage while driving, explaining the inherent risks that are accompanied by this practice, and as a result, propose various recommendations that may be adopted to control this situation.
According to the National Safety Council, a simulated driving test that sought to investigate the effects of cell phone usage while driving produced damning results. In this case, the results indicated that the conversation carried out between the driver and the other individual on the other line heightened the distraction to the level at which the driver became unaware of driving signals. The study revealed the psychological aspect involved in the practice of conversations. In this case, this assessment takes into consideration the participation element involved as well as other listening cues. From this evaluation, the results indicated that the more emotionally engaging the conversation, the higher the level of distraction occurred thereby resulting in less attention to safety signals. The study further reported that the results remained unchanged regardless of whether the subject applied hands-free initiatives or manually held the phone. This report challenged the appropriateness of hands-free initiatives.
Sturnquist (2012), indicates that the two most significant cell phone behaviors that contribute to driving dangers are: handling the phone while driving, actions such as dialing, texting, or answering, and the introduction of the conversation to the environment. According to the study released by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, the above cell phone behaviors contribute significantly to car crashes, near-crashes, and incidents. In this regard, an incident was defined as a driving undertaking that required an evasive maneuver. However, car crashes are not as a result of direct phone usage. On the other hand, the latter increases the threat to safety as a consequence of the behavior that transpires from such engagements. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute indicates that the growth in the number of incidents is attributed to manual handing of the phone as well as talking on the phone. In addition, in instances where the use of cell phones played a role in drivers’ distraction, cell phone conversations were considered to be the culprits behind a majority of car crashes.
According to the study carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cell phone usage is often associated with three types of distraction as indicated below (Galotti, 2011):
1. Visual- The use of a mobile phone requires an individual to take their eyes off the road to use their phone.
2. Manual- The driver needs to use his/her hands to operate the phone and as such removes their hands from the steering wheel.
3. Cognitive-The driver’s attention is diverted in the process of running their cell phone.
This study differs from the one above undertaken by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in that it provides the different forms of distraction that result from cell phone usage. However, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute puts particular emphasis on texting and its disastrous effects on driving. In this case, texting is associated with 23% of car accidents for drivers driving while texting than compared to those that drive undistracted (Federal Communications Commission, n.d).
According to Yan (2015), a large number of studies that are carried out with respect to cell phone usage while driving are based on four types of information, studies on driver performance, analysis of case studies which are attributed to the use of cell as the culprit behind car accidents, comparison between statistical analysis of trends of car crashes as well as cell phone usage, and epidemiological studies that take into consideration individual-level data in order to determine the pattern of cell phone use and the resulting collisions, fatality, or injury.
However, all studies on this issue are based on the analysis of common sense judgment with regards to the use of cell phones while driving. According to Galotti (2010), the performance of drivers is affected while using a cell in that it drains their concentration and mental energy required to maintain their focus on the road. This result is due to the coordination, time, and mental energy associated with cell phone usage thereby leading to driving complications hence increasing the risk of collisions.
` In light of these developments, various states have implemented various regulations with regards to cell phone usage. According to Yan (2015), 14 states in the U.S have prohibited the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. No state has currently banned the use of cell phones while driving. However, 38 states have banned cell phone usage by novice drivers and 20 states have additionally banned this practice among school bus drivers. In the year 2007, Washington became the first state to ban texting while driving. Since then, other states have followed suit in which case this has totaled to 46 states.
Owing to the above-cited dangers in cell phone usage, a complete ban on cell phone use should be adopted. According to Sturnquist (2012), the prohibition on texting has only yielded a 3% change in car crashes associated with cell phone usage, hence has no profound impact on the reduction of car accidents. This recommendation is also supported by scientists who indicate that the highly addictive nature of cell phones overrides the ban on only specified use such as texting. As a result of an impulse control disorder, a majority of individuals find it tremendously difficult to restrain the use of cell phones. Therefore, the imposition of stronger rules of enforcement can curtail the devastating effects of the use of cell phones while driving.
For future purposes, the attention on the restriction of cell phone usage should be focused primarily on teenagers. This approach is due to a majority of teenagers communicates via texting. Besides, owing to their lack of adequate driving experience, this category is deemed to cause cell phone-related accidents than compared to other age groups.
References
Federal Communications Commission (n.d). The dangers of texting while driving. Washington. Retrieved from https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/dangers-texting-while-driving
Galotti, K. M. (2011). Cognitive psychology: In and out of the laboratory. Canada: Nelson.
Lissy, K., Cohen, J., Park, M., & Graham, J. (2012). Cellular phone use while driving: Risks and benefits. Boston: Harvard Center for Risk Analysis.
Sturnquist, D. M. (2012). Mobile phones and driving. New York: Novinka Books.
Yan, Z. (2015). Encyclopedia of mobile phone behavior. New York: Information Science Reference.
