Hands-Free Calling Is Dangerous While Driving - Research Paper Example

"Hands Free" May Not Be Any Safer Driving a vehicle requires utmost alertness and a sense of responsibility as the driver is responsible not only for his own life but also the life of many other people on the road. Attention and focus is the most significant sense which is required for safe driving. It has been proved through studies and past experiences that using a mobile phone during driving is very risky and hazardous. The main reason is that the driver loses his attention and the mind is focused on some other thing which puts many lives at risk. Cell phone distracted driving has eventually grown into a critical public health threat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nine percent of the drivers use cell phones during driving and approximately one in four motor vehicle accidents are because of the use of cell phone at the time of the accident. In the United States a number of 32,800 to 43,500 people have been killed annually because of motor vehicle accidents since the year 1994.Motor vehicle crashes account for the top two causes of injurious death throughout the entire length of a person’s life. Many states have even made using a cell phone while driving illegal (National Safety Council 1-2). However, such legislations give a false impression that using a “hands-free” cellular device is safe and avoids the risks associated with driving. The general concept of the safety of hands-free cellular devices is indeed wrong due to the lack of awareness of the equally hazardous nature of hands-free mobile phone use during driving. Hands-free device is actually a headset that allows the user to communicate with the help of a wire or wireless. Sometimes, devices are built into the vehicles which function by voice recognition technology, permitting the user to dial and operate the phone through voice activation. State legislations do not ban the hands-free devices and public polls and driver surveys also exhibit that risk of handheld phones is more than hands-free phones. More than 30 research studies exhibit that the general concept of hands-free devices being safer is entirely baseless and hands-free devices are an equal and similar culprit in causing cognitive impairment while driving. Drivers are mostly performing automatic, well-practiced driving tasks such as slowing at a yellow light, activating turn signals and other such reflex driving activities. Contrary to drivers’ belief that they can multitask very easily, they should be aware that multi-tasking impairs their cognitive functioning. Studies show that while talking on the phone, drivers have decreased activity in their visual cortex that is in the occipital lobe. They also have a marked reduction in their parietal lobe activity, which is associated with driving (National Safety Council 5, 7-8). Distracted drivers experience a phenomenon called inattention blindness. They tend to “look at” the objects but do not actually “see” the objects. They observe a smaller visual field. According to estimations, drivers using a hands-free phone also tend to see fifty percent less objects while driving. This is quite similar to the drivers using hand-held cellular phones. Due to the cognitive distraction, the visual cortex of the driver looks at all the objects but processes fewer objects. Hence, lesser amount of information is observed by the driver. It has been observed, that apart from the slower reaction times and response rates of the drivers, hands-free or hand-held phones distracted driving also increases the risk of injury and property damage by four-folds (National Safety Council 9-11). Many drivers are of the opinion that hands-free devices are safer as compared to the hand-held phones. However, this has not been supported with any research and crash statistics show that many drivers were using hands-free cell phones at the time of the accident (Halsey). Researches have exhibited that using a hands-free cellular device during driving is equal to driving in a drunken state. This basically compares the risks of crashes and accidents associated with both the states. The research studied the driving activity of the drivers in four different circumstances: without distractions, with a handheld phone, with a hands-free device and in a highly drunken state. The research concluded that their driving was impaired equally in both handheld phones and hands-free phone usage. The results showed that they were hitting the brakes slower, exhibiting variability in maintaining a distance from the leading car and were resuming their normal speed slowly as well. Moreover, their driving impairment resembled to their ‘drink-driving’ state (Randerson). Although, no legislature is specified for hands-free cell phones, research studies have signified the risk of driving in this state. The study observed the nine performance variables during driving and compared them between a person using a cell phone and a person who was drunk while driving. Break reaction time is “the time interval between the onset of the pace car’s brake lights and the onset of the participants braking response” (Strayer, Drews and Crouch 386). Maximum braking force was defined as the maximum amount of brake force applied by the driver. Speed is the average speed of the motor vehicele driven by the person involved in the experiment. Mean following distance, standard deviation of the following distance, time to collision and half recovery time were the other variables observed in the experiment (Strayer, Drews and Crouch 386). The study showed that the intoxicated driver was more aggressive and deviated more from from the baseline or control values. They were closer to the lead car and also used brakes with a 23 percent greater force (Strayer, Drews and Crouch 387). The drivers using cell phones were more involved in rear-end collisions and exhibited greater recovery time from the initial speed as compared to the intoxicated driver (Strayer, Drews and Crouch 387). The study reveals two different driving behaviors of both the circumstances under experiment. Interestingly, the drivers using a cellphone and the alchoholic driver differed in their variations from the baseline. The intoxicated driver was more aggressive in the driver, used greater amount of braking force, and were closer to the lead car. The cellphone driver, on the other hand, exhibited delay in response to their surroundings on the road or the driving scenario. These drivers were also more likely to cause a traffic accident (Strayer, Drews and Crouch 388). The study revealed, surprisingly, that the cell phone drivring situation was more risky and hazardous as compared to the intoxicated driver (Strayer, Drews and Crouch 388). However, difference between the hand-held and hands-free driver was not significant and their driving performance was almost similar (Strayer, Drews and Crouch 388-389). The research study highligths the poor driving performance of the drivers using cellphones while driving, irrsespective of the type i.e. hand-held or hands-free. The similarities in the driving impairment emphasize that it is actually the phone conversation that is distracting rather than the use of handheld or hands-free cell phone devices. The drivers show slow reaction time, fewer adjustments in their speed and maintain a fast unchecked speed (CBC News; Halsey). Although drivers have the ability of multi-tasking but talking on the phone is a completely different circumstance. During driving, the driver is usually scanning the road all the time to keep a check on the pedestrians and cars passing by. However, researches show that drivers who are talking on the phone, whether hands-free or handheld have fewer eye movements and do not scan the road alertly (CBC News). This can prove to be hazardous leading to inevitable motor vehicle accidents. The brain is focusing on the conversation rather than on the road, even if both hands of the driver are on the wheel. Although the human mind has the ability to multi-task, but every new task is performed with less alertness and less proficiency. A study observed the drivers’ brain through an MRI machine, using a driving simulator. The brain activity of a driver was 37 percent less when he was distracted by talking or he was engaged in a conversation. Moreover, impairment of the skills was also observed due to distractions (Daily Mail Reporter). It is important to mention that talking to a passenger does not carry the same risk of crashes as is talking to someone while using a hands-free phone. Passengers are a part of the driving experience and tend to adjust their conversation according to the traffic and difficulty level. Moreover, the passengers can also see a danger and warn the driver. The passengers are also physically and mentally aware of the difficult task being performed by the driver and hence adjust their conversation according to it. On the other hand, when talking with someone on the phone, the driver tends to be politer and more focused on talking as compared to conversing with a passenger, as the former situation requires more attention (CBC News; Daily Mail Reporter). It is wrong to think that hands-free driving provides a sense of availability and alertness when compared with handheld cell phones. Almost every study and research carried out regarding this matter concluded that both the situations were equally risky and hazardous and none was safer than its counter-part. Research studies and close observation of crash statistics have proved significantly that the use of hands-free cell phones are not safer than hand-held phones while driving. Drivers were equally distracted and the risk of crash and accidents was also similar to the drivers using hand-held phones. Although, hands-free cellular phones allow the driver the availability to use both hands, but the driver’s brain is distracted, his cognitive functioning is impaired and his drving reaction times are slower. Drivers should be aware of the risk associated with use of hands-free or hand-held phones during driving and should try to pull over to the side of the road to receive a call. Laws should be focused on banning phone calls during driving, although it would be a challenging task. Works Cited CBC News. "Hands-free calling dangerous while driving, research shows." CBC News 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Daily Mail Reporter. "Even Hands-free phones are dangerous while driving. new research reveals." DailyMail Online 15 Dec. 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Halsey, Ashley. "Study: Hands-free or not, cellphone use while driving is dangerous." Washigton Post. 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. National Safety Council. "Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while using hands-free cell phones is risky behavior." National Safety Council. 2010. Print. Randerson, James. "Hands-free car phones are 'as dangerous as drink-driving'." The Guardian 30 Jun. 2006. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. Strayer, David L, Frank A. Drews and Dennis J. Crouch. "A comparison of the cell phone driver and the drunk driver." Human Factors: the Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 48.2 (2006): 381-391. Print. Read More