Will a ban on cell phone use in cars decrease auto accidents -- NO
Opposing Views
Kelli Downey
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Opinion
As of July 1, 2008, drivers in California will no longer be allowed to drive and talk on cell phones, unless they have hands-free devices.
Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed SB 1613, a bill that clearly states that using hands-free devices will allow drivers to have both hands on the wheel.
I agree that eliminating the use of a cell phone in the car will help to reduce the long list of possible distractions for drivers, but the ban on cell phone use will not decrease auto accidents, because there are too many factors.
According to the state Senate legislative analysis of the bill, opponents argued that a 2003 study found that the use of cell phones was only the eighth most common distraction. The study by AAA's Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of North Carolina found that the most prevalent distracting activity is reaching and leaning.
In addition to cell phone usage and reaching and leaning, there are various other factors that affect a driver's performance and alertness.
What happened to people being alert drivers? I know people were once alert and driving properly, especially when they were taking their driving test.
The leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes is driver inattention, according to a recent research report by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
"The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study" states that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds prior to the accident.
The researchers tracked the behavior of 241 drivers in 100 sensor-equipped vehicles for over a year. The vehicles were involved in 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes during the 2 million miles of the study.
There are too many distractions for people when they are driving. The problem we face is that we learned to multitask. People multitask everywhere, especially while driving.
Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed SB 1613, a bill that clearly states that using hands-free devices will allow drivers to have both hands on the wheel.
I agree that eliminating the use of a cell phone in the car will help to reduce the long list of possible distractions for drivers, but the ban on cell phone use will not decrease auto accidents, because there are too many factors.
According to the state Senate legislative analysis of the bill, opponents argued that a 2003 study found that the use of cell phones was only the eighth most common distraction. The study by AAA's Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of North Carolina found that the most prevalent distracting activity is reaching and leaning.
In addition to cell phone usage and reaching and leaning, there are various other factors that affect a driver's performance and alertness.
What happened to people being alert drivers? I know people were once alert and driving properly, especially when they were taking their driving test.
The leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes is driver inattention, according to a recent research report by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
"The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study" states that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds prior to the accident.
The researchers tracked the behavior of 241 drivers in 100 sensor-equipped vehicles for over a year. The vehicles were involved in 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes during the 2 million miles of the study.
There are too many distractions for people when they are driving. The problem we face is that we learned to multitask. People multitask everywhere, especially while driving.
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posted 11/19/09 @ 10:17 AM PST
Almost all of us are guilty at some time or other of breaking basic driving rules. The reason for this is clear - most of us, as we grow more accustomed to driving, lose respect for the inherent hazards that come with driving hundred of miles per hour in a hurtling metallic object. (Continued…)
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