Texting And Driving Is Very Dangerous
Our Thinking or Reflective Brain can think about one thing at a time
Do not text and drive, arrive alive!
The Big Q: Ever wonder what happens when using onboard video cameras and sensors monitoring speed, acceleration and GPS location to gather information from more than 3,500 drivers over a 3-year period?
The Big A: Well, we get a snapshot of the secs leading up to a car crash, including revelations about the risk factors that caused it.
This is the model that was used by a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which revealed that many “Secondary Tasks” related to the use of hand-held electronic devices aka cell phones are of “detriment to driver safety.”
The researchers analyzed data from more than 900 vehicle crashes that involved injuries or property damage. They noted a dramatic shift in crash causation in recent years, noting that driver-related factors such as distraction, error, impairment and fatigue are present in nearly 90% of crashes.
“The results also definitively show that distraction is detrimental to driver safety, with handheld electronic devices having high use rates and risk,” they concluded. Specifically, dialing a phone was the most dangerous distraction and increased the risk of a crash 12X.
Reading or writing while driving is also dangerous and increased crash risk 20X.
Below are some other dangerous activities while driving a motor vehicle, as follows:
- Reaching for an item other than a cell phone increased crash risk 9X.
- Texting increased risk 6X
- Reaching for a cell phone increased risk 5X
- Browsing a phone or reading e-Mail increased risk 3X
Distraction is a major danger to drivers, and the study showed that drivers were distracted for varying periods of time during more than 50% of their trips. This 2X’d the risk of a crash.
Driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol was still a greater crash risk, increasing the risk 36X, but that does not minimize the dangers of distracted driving.
Even crying or being visibly angry was enough of a distraction to increase the chances of a crash 10X, but far more common is distraction due to use of a cell phone.
Even dialing a phone increased crash risk 12X, which is incredibly concerning considering teens spend about 9hours daily using media, which includes ample time on their cell phones, presumably some of it while driving despite the significant risks.
Even on their best day, teens are 3X more likely to crash than experienced drivers, underscoring the importance of talking to teens about turning their phones off while driving.
It is virtually impossible to drive a car safely while talking or texting on the phone because our reflective brain can only think about 1 thing at a time.
It is a neurological fact: Our reflective brain cannot multitask.
While our reflex brain is taking care of the routine of driving, our reflective brain should be on standby in order to consider and imagine non-routine future events that are out of the reach of the reflex brain.
The ideal option is to turn the cell phone off while driving to avoid the distraction of pinging message notifications from e-Mail and social media, as well as the temptation to answer and make calls and texts.
Also, there is no difference between holding the phone in our hand Vs using it hands-free.
The reason for this is because the limitation is in our brain, not our hands. Whether we hold the phone or not, our brain still has to multitask when we using it while driving.
Also, talking on the phone is much more dangerous than having a light conversation with a passenger.
Why?
We only have a passenger once in a while and our phone has the potential to claim your attention all the time.
And, because the passenger is there with you, observing the same environment, it makes for a safer environment in your vehicle.
So, make a personal commitment to drive cell phone-free, and have a safe and happy day.
HeffX-LTN
Paul Ebeling
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