Cell Phone Usage While Driving: A Benefit or a Risk
Technology provides and constantly improves a collection of artifacts that positively contribute to the development of society. The cell phone stands out as an example of a popular invention that technology keeps upgrading. According to TechTarget the definition of a cell phone is “a type of short wave analog or digital telecommunication in which a subscriber has a wireless connection from a mobile phone to a relatively nearby transmitter.” It is a device so small and compact that most human beings can comfortably carry one wherever they go today, it is a two-way communication device that you can talk on over a cellular network and it is otherwise called a mobile phone. A cell phone has multiple uses that benefit their users such as helping in communication from other parts of the world among other features. In actuality, the majority of Americans own and rely on a cellphone for communication, entertainment and even work, but in some cases, it plays as a distraction and can be harmful for the user and those around. Cellphone usage while driving is dangerous.
The incapacity to concentrate highly contributes to road dangers. According to Psychology Today, “78 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes in the United States were due to distracted driving.” Drivers who take their eyes off the highway, take their hands off the steering wheel or simply find themselves not focused can cause their reaction time to be delayed, consequently making accidents more likely to occur especially when it only takes an instant for an unlucky incident to occur. Cell phones have the potential to become a huge distraction now that texting is now so popular among users. According to TeenSafe, “77% of adults and 55% of teenage drivers believe that they can easily manage texting while simultaneously navigating the road.” Experienced drivers often feel as they can handle to multitask behind the steering wheel but research by the National Safety Council explains that “the human brain cannot do two things at the same time” instead the brain switches between tasks, and it is impossible to be completely concentrated in one activity while also doing another, ensuring that multitasking is just a myth. TeenSafe supports this by explaining that “texting while driving increases the chance of an accident by 23 times.” Even with accidents caused by another driver, paying full attention on the road can still prevent them from happening.
When it comes to cell phone usage while driving risks there are numerous misconceptions. Auto makers now include options to connect phones to cars via Bluetooth and other applications. Drivers now rely on their phones to get to places via their phone’s GPS, communicating with friends, family or coworkers while on the go, choose the music they want to listen to inside the vehicle, even remembering where they parked. A large percentage of drivers believe hands-free options are completely safe to use and that they can be a quick solution but the technology that helps us multitask is not any because even with the two hands on the steering wheel the brain still switches its focus leading to inattentional blindness, what psychology defines as the failure to notice something fully visible due to lack of attention. The National Safety Council explains how drivers on hands-free phones “are looking out the windshield, but do not process everything in the roadway environment necessary to effectively monitor their surroundings, seek and identify potential hazards. “Therefore, as tempting as it might be to think benefits are equal to risks, the best way to stay safe remains ignoring the electronic device until reaching the destination.
Teenagers form the largest age group that reports being distracted while driving. Driver’s education for teenagers emphasizes the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, also the movies, and media in general help to bring awareness. TeenSafe points out that “while the number of drinking and driving fatalities has decreased in teens, the number of traffic fatalities in the age group has not, much attributed to distracted driving.” and that “each day, 11 teens die as a result of texting and driving.” Such high numbers could be attributed to the dependence teens feel towards their phones, mostly texting and social media and how they might feel they are missing something while they are not looking at their phones.
Cell phones have a variety of options that facilitate or lives, but they can also become a distraction. Accidents on the road can have serious consequences not only for the distracted drivers but for other drivers, and when these accidents turn lethal, consequences can also be terrible for the families of the victims. It is important to educate others on this issue, and it is even more important to understand that no one is exempted and that an accident could happen to any new or experienced driver.
Work Cited
- 'Cellular Phone.' TechTarget, Whatis, searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/ cellular-telephone. Accessed 25 Sept. 2019.
- 'The Great Multitasking Lie.' National Safety Council, www.nsc.org/road-safety/tools-resources/infographics/great-multitasking-lie. Accessed 5 Oct. 2019.
- 'Understanding the Distracted Brain.' National Safety Council, Apr. 2012, www.nsc.org/Portals/0/ Documents/DistractedDrivingDocuments/Cognitive-Distraction.
- '100 Distracted Driving Facts & Statistics for 2018.' TeenSafe, 26 Dec. 2018, teensafe.com/
- 100-distracted-driving-facts-statistics-for-2018/.
- Vitelli, Romeo, Ph.D. 'Distracted Driving and Cellphones: What Are the Risks?' Psychology Today, May 2019, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/media-spotlight/201905/distracted-driving-and-cellphones-what-are-the-risks.
