So, a recent study by an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Highway Loss Data Institute, finds that laws banning hand-held cell phone use don’t really work. Is that a surprise? I don’t know since I don’t live in a state where hand-held phones are banned, but I’ve often compared the use of cell phones to having a living, breathing passenger in the front passenger seat.
Have you ever driven behind one of those drivers who has a passenger in the front seat who has a compulsive desire to look at his passenger as he talks? The guy ends up looking at his passenger more than he looks at the road during his conversation. I always keep that guy in front of me for my safety, though I go insane to have to drive behind him. I daresay he’s more distracted than he would be if he just had his cell phone up to his ear.
Since I’m usually a solitary driver, I know how distracting it can be to have someone in the passenger seat. Perhaps the cell phone is less distracting because at least when I’m talking on the phone, I’m not concerned with how fat my thighs look sitting on the vehicle seat or if I’m driving like a grandpa.
Still, I’ve been behind, in front of, and beside cell phone drivers and I can say one thing: they’re distracted and all over the road. They run red lights obliviously. They cause crashes and maim and kill people. If you see me coming and you’re driving and phoning, I’ll be yelling, “Put down your freaking cell phone!” Though if you look in your rear-view mirror, you’ll know what my mouth is really saying 😉 .
That’s a good point, Marge. I know there have been times when I’ve been a (nervous) passenger and have had to say “Stop!” to the driver when they were rolling into the car in front of us because they were too busy talking.
Most (not all) passengers are at least peripherally aware of what’s going on in the car–they see stopped traffic on an expressway, notice construction, etc…. They are more likely to moderate conversation, demands on the driver’s attention. The person a driver’s talking to has no idea what’s going on and the conversation may become intense just as road conditions or traffic require full attention.
Sec. of Transportation Ray LaHood was on Talk of the Nation today discussing cell phones/texting. The transcript and a link to listen to his segment is here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123279439 . If you’ve never heard him talk, it’s fun. He’s not afraid to express his opinion.
I too am not surprised. I’ve been reading in the past year multiple stories about distraction being pretty much equal whether you’re hands-free or not while on the phone; it has to do with the part of your brain you’re using. And yes, it’s different from talking to someone who’s there.
I think it’s a mix of cell phones being distracting period, and people ignoring the laws (and maybe getting MORE distracted trying to hide their cell phone use– I recently talked to a friend who said she had a conversation with another acquaintance who kept saying, “Hold on, there’s a cop– I have to put the phone down” and then fumbling around for it as soon as the cop was gone…)
I think people are much more distracted on a phone (hand-held or hands-free) than with a passenger in the front. I really think our brain works differently when on the phone vs in-person. Plus a passenger can see and anticipate certain driving situations that someone on the other end of the phone can’t.
Regardless, California has a no-hand-held law, and it has done Jack, as far as I’m concerned. I see people driving with their phones to their heads ALL THE TIME. Part of the problem (besides the fact that people just don’t care) is that the fine is a whopping $25, and it doesn’t count against you for DMV or insurance purposes. The fine to pull over onto the shoulder of a freeway to make a call in a non-emergency situation is actually more than that. So if someone “needs” to make a call on the freeway, it actually behooves them to just go ahead and do it.
Crunchy – what a great quote! Will have to remember that one.
It didn’t surprise me. A local university (go Utes!) has done some of the pioneering research on distracted driving and more than one of the studies showed no difference when using a hands-free device. Talking on the phone while driving is dangerous. Period.
I heard a quote that I really liked on Oprah’s show dedicated to this last week. “It’s not where your hands are, it’s where your head is.”
I must admit I was totally astonished when I read that this morning. Does not compute! I agree there are all manner of distractions, but I wonder if this just means people are being more sneaky about their cell phone use.