Cellular phone usage plays a considerable role in the lives of my family and friends. Unfortunately, this includes the use of cell phones while performing serious tasks like driving.
When I first began driving, I would turn my phone off and store it in the glove compartment until I arrived at my destination so as to minimize distraction from the road. As I got more experience and grew in confidence, I would keep my phone switched on and in the center console of the car. When calls came in, I would answer them and keep the phone in my lap while it was on speaker, but I do not text while driving. However, some of my friends text and surf social media in heavy traffic or sometimes when stopped at a red light. They also make, and answer calls while behind the wheel. As for my family, my mother only accepts calls from her patients while she is driving, using a hands-free Bluetooth device. My father accepts calls from his patients as well as his friends using a hands-free system built into the car.
There is great commonality among these groups as they are all involved in multitasking driving with using their cell phones in some way. The younger drivers tend to use their devices more frequently and to perform more tasks, like going on the internet, than the older, more experienced drivers.
Further, each driver has their own reason for using the cell phone while driving. I keep the phone on so that I can keep in contact with people in case of an emergency or if there is a sudden change of plans regarding my reason for going on the road. In the case of my friends, they use their phones for the same reasons, but also as a way to pass the time waiting in a long line of traffic or stopped at a red light. However, my parents are doctors and always need to be on standby in case there is a change in a patient’s condition, or they are called to the hospital in the event of an emergency.
Research Analysis
The study “Distracted Driving and Risk of Road Crashes among Novice and Experienced Drivers” (Klauer et al 2004) yielded in-depth results about the correlation between driving performance and cell phone distraction. The postulate of this study was that performing additional tasks, such as using the phone, while driving is a major factor in vehicular accidents involving both young and experienced drivers.
The research conducted was able to identify a link between the risk of crashing and the execution of other tasks. The researchers installed cameras and sensors in the vehicles of 42 new drivers between the ages of 16 and 17 years, and 109 drivers with more experience, ranging from 18 to 72 years old. The cameras were angled to record video of the driver’s face, over the driver’s shoulder, and the front and rear view of the car. The sensors collected data about the car’s motion to analyze normal driving patterns and to detect crashes, which constituted physical collisions, or near-crash experiences such as sudden maneuvers that differed from normal driving procedure. However, the researches excluded occurrences unrelated to doing secondary tasks such as when the driver was drowsy, under the influence of substances, or not at fault. The research concluded that the risk of crashes was slightly different for experienced and novice drivers.
The risk of crashes was notably increased for young drivers when performing tasks such as dialing, texting, reaching for a phone, looking at objects on the side of the road and eating. The odds ratio for a crash while dialing was 8.32 for novice drivers compared to 2.49 for experienced drivers. Reaching for the phone was 7.05 for young drivers compared to 2.49 in experienced drivers, and texting, or using the internet was 3.87 in young drivers, but occurred so rarely in experienced drivers that it could not be used in the data. However, young drivers talking on the phone only had an odds ratio of 0.61, while experienced drivers had an odds ratio of 0.76. The study also stated that frequency of performing secondary tasks increased in young drivers over time as they may have become more confident driving and took more risks.
I have confidence in the results as they acquired data from drivers with a large variation in age and used data from over 600 crash or near-crash incidents, and it was conducted fairly recently. Also, the study took place over an 18-month period which is a sufficient amount of time to collect data about individuals’ driving experiences and procedures. The data has external validity as this is the general trend that applies to the majority of drivers within the respective age groups, and levels of experience. However, the study could have been more accurate by using a larger sample of drivers from many different areas.
Similarly, the article “Does Talking on a Cell Phone, With a Passenger, or Dialing Affect Driving Performance? An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Experimental Studies” (Caird et al 2018) yields results that prove that performing other tasks while driving results in increased risk while driving.
To conduct this study the researchers used data compiled from 93 studies, and 106 experiments overall. However, they used specific independent variables: whether the driver was conversing with a passenger or through the phone, setting, and the type of conversation. They studied how these affected the drivers’ reaction time, detection of new stimulus on the road, position in the lane, speed, and physical collisions.
The results of this experimented were not surprising as hand-held and hands-free cell phones had effect sizes of 0.25 and 0.27 on drivers’ reaction time to road hazards such as pedestrians or the slowing down of the vehicle immediately in front. The research also showed that drivers are less likely to follow the speed limit while talking on the phone, but the disposition of the car from the center of the lane was not greatly affected.
I have confidence in this study since it uses extensive data from studies that in total have collected data from 4,382 drivers between the ages of 14 and 84 years. Thus, the results of this study should be very accurate and externally valid. However, this study accounts for data from research conducted in 1991 which would not necessarily be applicable to today’s drivers since cell phone and vehicular technology has advanced so much since then.
Self-Reflection after Research
Transportation is a key factor in the functioning of society, and driving is the medium by which many people get places. However, driving comes with risks for the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and everyone else on the road. Thus, any distraction or secondary task that takes focus away from driving places many people’s lives in danger. Based on the findings from the studies it shows that the most distracting form of cell phone use is texting, using the internet, and reaching for the phone to make a call. While driving I feel like my friends should discontinue the above unless in an emergency. As for my driving behavior, I should connect a hands-free device in the car, so I do not need to shift focus to picking up the phone and answering the call. However, I feel as if my parents should continue what they do since they always need to remain on standby for their jobs.
The driving regulations at home in Jamaica are very strict when it comes to cell phone use. The law does not allow for “the use of electronic visual devices while driving (except GPS, radio, and reversing camera)”, and “only hands-free phone calls allowed” . I do not think the law needs to be changed as it currently limits distraction from cell phones and creates a relatively safer environment for all road users.
Although many people understand that driving while distracted is dangerous, they tend to ignore the risks associated with using their phones. This can be attributed to drivers’ belief that they can seamlessly multitask while driving. Also, the more we practice a procedure, the more comfortable we feel performing it. Consequently, when drivers reach a certain comfort level behind the wheel, they feel they can do other things and drive correctly at the same time. However, this is not the case as the secondary task being performed diminishes the amount of mental resources dedicated to driving.
Also, the driving regulations vary slightly from state to state. This could be because of the differences in driving culture, and amount of traffic in the states. Some states are also more developed than others in terms of technology and road infrastructure, so some states may be stricter or more lenient on the residents.