Distracted Driving Research Paper

We all are probably aware that texting and talking on the phone is a distraction to all drivers and can be very dangerous. Also, we all know there are many other distractions besides texting and driving, and any type of technology can cause a driver to be distracted. Forty-one percent of all drivers use their hands to text in the car while driving, according to Greg Gardner (52). It can cause people to forget about pedestrians or their surrounding areas. People who are distracted often aren’t focused and don’t have both hands on the wheel. According to Bryan Wilson, people may say that cell phones are easy to be pointed out as a problem, but statistics show the damage cell phones can do to a person while they are driving (6). According to Simon Usborne, time spent not looking at the road while talking on the phone is 15% of the time (68). Also, while texting and driving the time spent not looking at the road is 30% of the time (Usborne 69). As technology improves more and more people may feel the need to use their cell phones while driving. According to Melissa Healy, cell phone use can be as dangerous as drunk driving (42). Tests should be done to compare the various ways of sober people under the influence driving also to compare the impact of texting and driving. This would give us a better understanding of just how dangerous driving and being on our phone really is.

“Distracted driving refers to any nondriving activity that takes motorists ' attention away from the safe operation of their vehicles” (Leone). Every time a driver gets in a vehicle and decides to use a cell phone to have a conversation, either talking or texting, they put themselves and others lives in danger. The convenience a cell phone and the capabilities they offer have made them a substantial distraction and a cause of significant source of vehicle accidents and fatalities. There are three different types of distractions: visual, manual and cognitive. Cell phone use is the most dangerous distraction because it involves all three different types of distraction and plays a part in the increasing issue of distracted driving. Even

In Canada there are several different ways civilians manage to harm themselves while driving vehicles. The occurrence of a vehicle disturbance not only causes harm to the drivers involved, but also puts the surrounding environment at further risk. Understanding the causes to distracted driving is crucial for the safety of Canadians, and can help prevent millions of dollars in damage. The invention of the car has increased in popularity within society, resulting in the creation of several different models of cars. Each new model has made attempts to address distracted driving. Through additional attention to case studies involving distracted driving, we can predict driving is caused from use of drugs and alcohol , use of technology/electronics,

Distracted driving in America is not a trivial issue in today's society. On average, eight people are killed and one thousand one hundred sixty one people are injured due to accidents involving distracted drivers, particularly due to texting. Distracted driving is a huge issue in our society. The risks are great and lead to unfathomable results. Distracted driving has also taken such a big toll on our Nation, that laws have been put in place in hopes of preventing distracted driving.

1). Texting and using a cell phone are the two most common distractions while driving (“Distracted” para. 1). It Can Wait campaign has started to stop drivers from using handheld devices (“Distracted” para. 3). Distractions affect one’s driving performance (“Distracted” para. 5). Drivers are distracted around half the time they drive (“Distracted” para. 5).15% to 25% of crashes on all levels are caused by distraction (“Distracted” para. 5). Texting increases the driving risk, even more than regular cell phone use (“Distracted” para. 5). When cops fill out crash reports, the states should keep track of them (“Distracted” para. 6). There are many distraction while driving that may cause the driver to take focus off the road (“Distracted” para. 8). Some distraction that everyone does is : changing the radio or a CD, talking to passenger, and observing the event outside the vehicle (Distracted para. 8). There are effects on telematics on driving behaviors (“Distracted” para. 9). Some say that the electronic device companies need to inform the public about the real use of these devices (“Distracted” para.

Despite an effective way of communication, using cell phones during driving results in the distracted attention of driver increasing road safety concerns.

Advancing technology in wireless communications is presenting a growing concern for distracted driving due to using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. Although distracted driving accidents and fatalities have risen in the last decade, placing a ban on the use of a cell phone or other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle as some states have will not resolve the issue. In fact a ban on cell phones and driving may very well increase the accident and fatality rate because drivers are now more involved with concealing their illegal behaviors. More citizen participation and drivers safety management should be more carefully considered in a transpiring situation such as this. More Americans should be

When we are on the road wreck less driving can be caused by a number of situations, which ultimately is all related to the driver being irresponsible. Many of us have witnessed drivers so distracted by their cell phones that they often resemble drunk drivers and we 've all seen the commercials of the distracted drivers who look down to read that one message and now suffer permanent brain damage or have ended someone elses life.. “Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University used MRI brain scans to demonstrate that simply listening to a cell phone conversation while driving results in a drastic decrease in brain activity focused on driving” (Gershowitz 582). A common misconception is the thought that hands-free calling is safer than texting. This is very much untrue, the actual act of having a conversation causes the driver to be distracted. Texting while driving is more dangerous because texting requires cognitive functioning and requires the driver to take his eyes off the road. Distracted drivers often weave between lanes or forget to signal while driving; putting other drivers at risk while on the road. Recently, we have seen an increase in the concern over cell phone use while driving and an increase in legislation to prohibit this dangerous act. It is very important that cell phone use not only be regulated but strictly enforced because negligent drivers are a serious danger to

For 80 years now, people have been talking on the telephone. For over 100 years, we have been driving vehicles. However, it was not until recently individuals have tried to combine these two. While most people know the dangers this can cause and has caused, many people in today’s society still have not put the cell phone down before getting behind the wheel.

Other evidence against hands free cell phone use while driving is simply that talking on hands free devices is just as bad as talking on handheld devices in relation to driver performance (Ishigami & Klein, 2009). To determine this, Ishigami and Klein (2009) reviewed the results of several separate studies that investigated the impacts of handheld and hands free cell phone usage on the detection reaction times of drivers. These studies were: Abdel-Aty (2003), Burns et al. (2002), Consiglio et al. (2003), Haigney et al. (2000), McEvoy et al. (2005), Patten et al. (2004), Redelmeier and Tibshirani (1997), Strayer and Johnson (2001), Strayer, Drews, and Crouch (2006), and Törnros and Boiling (2005, 2006). Consiglio et al. studied the effects of auditory distractions, such as cell phone, by measuring the reaction time of participants using a non-driving, braking task where participants released an accelerator and applied the brakes if a red light were shown. The control group performed the task without auditory stimulation. Strayer and Johnson (2001) examined the effects of phone conversation on reaction time with a computer pursuit tracking task.

Today using a cellphone while driving has become the norm. Drivers are now forced to either focus on the conversation or on the road in front of them. Many studies have shown that driving while having a conversation is extremely dangerous. The evidence that supports banning cellphones including hands-free phone is due to signs of visual impairedness and an increase in vehicle accidents. The evidence that suggests cell phones and hands-free phones impose no risk are that there are many distractions when driving and cars have safety features to allow talking on the phone while driving.

In an age dominated by technology, an individual's cell phone is a very important device for the function of day to day tasks. Whether driving to the grocery store, driving to work, or driving to a friends house, chances are you have used your cell phone at least once while operating a vehicle, but is this dangerous? Simultaneously driving and the use of a cell phone is deemed illegal in many states under the presumption that it is a distraction to driving. This legislation is usually preconceived under the notion that the distraction comes from peripheral factors associated with the use of a cell phone and not the conversation on the cell phone itself. Past research measured individuals who were using a cell phone prior to an accident, but this questions validity. These individuals whom used a cell phone before an accident could be prone to more risky behavior on the road and not due to the use of the cell phone itself. Other research attempted to measure distraction with phone conversations, but relied on arithmetic, reasoning, and mental tasks, all which are not of a typical phone conversation. Research conducted in 2001 by Strayer and Johnston aimed to resolve these issues by measuring the extent in which the use of cell phone by conversation interferes with driving and the underlying factors for the interference. This research is of utmost importance because individuals could not only be putting their self at risk when using a cellphone while

In the United States, there are many states and cities that have passed laws where individuals should not use hand-held phones or text while driving, however, none of these laws actually restricts a person from using a phone while driving. The National Safety Council reported that each year an estimated of 1.6 million car crashes are due to people using their cell phones while driving (Texting and Driving Accident Statistics, 2017). One of the biggest reasons that car accidents occurs is because the driver was not paying attention to the road and the things around them. There are many things that can distract a person while they are driving, such as; using the navigation, eating, drinking, playing with the radio, talking on the phone, and even texting. In a single day, approximately 660,000 drivers habitually use their cell phone while they are driving (Texting and Driving Accident Statistics, 2017). This is why the nonprofit organization known as FocusDriven, has been so devoted and passionate about banning the use of cell phones while driving and fighting to make it be illegal and unacceptable in the eyes of the law. As an advocate, this paper is a policy proposal which includes research studies showing data that supports why cell phone use while driving should be banned and possible solutions to take the necessary steps in order to prevent drivers from becoming distracted and hopefully reducing the number of car crashes and fatalities caused by cell

Cell phones play a very large role in most people’s lives, but the continuous use of them has sparked the controversy of whether or not these devices plague drivers. Improvements in technology and human dependency on having a cell phone has led to the increase of cell phone use while driving and crashes related to this behavior. Studies and simulations have been conducted to put the controversy at ease accompanied by state governments passing bans on hand-held devices. The magnitude of the issue of cell phone use while driving is proven by the articles “Cellular Phone Use While Driving: Risks and Benefits: Section 3. Risks of Using a Cellular Phone While Driving” by Karen S. Lissy, M.P.H., Joshua T. Cohen, Ph.D., Mary Y. Park, M.S., and John D. Graham, Ph.D. and “The Use of Cell Phones While Driving”. Federal and state governments should enact bans on cell phone use while driving because missing a message or call is better than a loved one receiving the message of the driver’s death.

alone every year. The issue of driving while talking on a cell phone has become serious enough that five states have passed laws prohibiting this type of act and making it a primary offense to do so. Not only are drivers talking behind the wheel, but many have admitted to engaging in even more potentially dangerous behavior with their phones such as text messaging and surfing the internet. A distracted driver is a dangerous one. If you are focused on a conversation and your eyes are not on the road, drivers cannot be expected to make a quick and safe decision should the need for one arise. The behavior of a driver while using a cell phone has been compared to that of one driving while under the influence. Studies have shown that those who use a cell phone while driving are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who don’t.