As you say goodbye to your children as they prepare to go out for the evening you

encourage them to have a few drinks before driving home. While this is not realistic to

think any parent would encourage their teen to drink and drive, it is something that one

might as well tell them if you permit these children to talk on a cell phone while driving.

Is has been proven in many different states that teenage drivers are more susceptible to

accidents without the use of a cell phone, but when they choose to add a cell phone to the

mix, the potential for an accident increases significantly.

Over the past 10 – 15 years, the number of cell phone users has steadily increased.

With this increase, naturally comes at least an equal increase in the number of cell phone

users who drive while talking on the phone. The National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA) estimates “there are some 974,000 vehicles on the road at any

given daylight moment driven by someone on a hand-held phone” (Glassbrenner,

2005). Anyone who has been driving for more than a year has been the “victim” of a cell

phone driver on at least on occasion. There have been comparisons drawn which have

been supported by various studies, some of which will be discussed throughout this

paper, which equate the cell phone driver to a drunk driver. While it could be argued that

there is no comparison between the two, the inference drawn by many of the surveys is

that the drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents as a result of being

preoccupied with their phone conversations. “Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths

and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year” (Britt, 2005).

As a society, we have become dependent upon the use of cell phones to the point

we will talk on them no matter what we are doing or where we are. Whether it be in a

public restroom, walking through an airport, or even in the finest of restaurants we strike

up a conversation at the mere ringing or vibration of a cell phone. Our teenagers

absolutely must have a cell phone so they can stay in touch with their friends.

Considering all this, it only seems natural that we would be willing to strike up a cell

phone conversation in our car. After all, it is a semi-private area where the conversation

can only be heard by the people in the vehicle with us, if there are any. The problem with

this scenario is the focus we are required to exhibit to be safe drivers without any

distractions have taken on a whole new outlook. Not only must we, as cell phone users,

concentrate on the flow of traffic, speeders, lane weavers and distractions that come with

traffic, but we now are challenged even further (at our own hands) by trying to answer a

phone while navigating the already dangerous surroundings.

With the advent of “Bluetooth” technology, many feel this is the answer to the

problem. Take the cell phone out of the driver’s hands and put the conversation over the

same speakers as the car stereo and allow the driver to talk in a “hands-free”

environment. While at the onset, this appears to truly be the solution to the problem,

these same surveys I mentioned above beg to differ. Here are a few examples of the

surveys and their results:

In one published writing (McGarva, Ramsey & Shear, 2006) indications were that

“drivers’ growing use of cell phones has sparked considerable scientific interest,

with most of the researchers addressing the detrimental effects of cell phones on the

drivers’ attention.” Additional research quoted in this article led one to believe there was

some degree of tie-in between cell phone usage while driving and road-rage. The

following is a summary of the survey and its results: “Using 2 field procedures, the

authors assessed impacts of cell-phone use on mild forms of driver aggression.

Participants were 135 drivers traveling within a city of approximately 17,000 people in an

otherwise little-populated region of western North Dakota. The authors videotaped the

participants while a confederate driver in a low-status vehicle frustrated them. In

Experiment 1, the confederate was traveling well under the posted speed limit. In

Experiment 2, the confederate remained motionless at a stoplight that had turned green.

When the confederate visibly talked on a hand-held cell phone, male drivers exhibited

their frustration by honking their horn more quickly and frequently than did drivers in no-

cell-phone trials, and female drivers were more angry according to blind judgments of

videotaped facial expressions that were compared with those of drivers in no-cell-phone

trials.” (McGarva, Ramsey, & Shear, 2006).

In yet another survey, (Strayer & Drews, 2004), “examined the effects of hands-

free cell phone conversations on simulated driving.” They research discovered that

“driving performance of both younger and older adults was influenced by cell phone

conversations. Compared with single-task (i.e.. driving only) conditions, when drivers

used cell phones their reactions were 18% slower, their following distance was 12%

greater, and they took 17% longer to recover the speed that was lost following braking.”

These cell phone-induced effects were equivalent for younger and older adults,

suggesting that older adults do not suffer a significantly greater penalty for talking on a

cell phone while driving than compared with their younger counterparts.” Probably the

most interesting part of their survey was that the results indicated a younger driver’s

reaction times while driving and taking on a cell phone were almost the same as that of

older drivers not using a cell phone.

In one last survey, the intent was a comparison of cell phone drivers with drunk

drivers. In this survey conducted by Strayer, Drews and Crouch (2006), the results

concluded that both cell phone drivers and drunk drivers “performed differently from

baseline and the driving profiles of these two conditions differed.” The survey found that

“on one hand, intoxicated drivers hit the brakes harder, and had shorter following

distances.” The survey also found “that cell phone drivers had slower reactions, had

longer following distances, took longer to recover speed lost following a braking episode,

and were involved in more accidents.”

One of the other noteworthy findings was that “the driving impairments

associated with handheld and hands-free cell phone conversations were not significantly

different.” This obviously brought into question whether the local, state, and federal laws

being considered at the time to ban handheld cell phone conversations while driving, and

require a hands-free cell phone device if a driver is to talk on a cell phone while driving.

The survey goes on to say that the “interference can be attributed to, in large part, to the

distracting effects of the phone conversation themselves. While cell phone use is

generally a temporary state, the survey indicated cell phone drivers had the potential to

return to safe driving after the phone call conversation ended. He drunk driver posed a

more severe threat, as alcohol impairment lasts longer presenting a definite danger to the

public.

I don’t think there is a driver on the road today who has not observed a change in

the behavior of a driver when a cell phone call comes in. Immediately, the speed at

which they are traveling changes and the driver on the phone seems to become oblivious

to the fact they are driving in the left-hand lane at a speed lower than that of the right

hand lane. I can also personally speak to the many different tasks associated with drivers

in one particular profession. As a police officer, it was not uncommon at all for me to be

driving at a high rate of speed on an emergency response, with my cell phone in one

hand, the police radio in the other hand, steering the car with my knees while trying to

type, read, and receive messages on the mobile data computer mounted in the cars. All

this while trying to be “totally” aware of my surroundings and the actions of drivers at

intersections as I stop then pass through with lights and sirens blazing.

Drivers using cell phones are but one example of multi-tasking, but one that is

visible and dangerous, if not done properly. It is one’s responsibility as a parent to ensure

teenage drivers understand the safety issues associated with driving while talking on a

cell phone. Additionally, the “need” to send text messages or use a Blackberry or similar

device while driving is something that can wait until the driver parks their vehicle needs

to be asserted firmly. This is one case where parents must also take the lead and be an

example of what they preach to their children. Teenagers often imitate actions of their

parents. If we, as parents, don’t use cell phones while driving, hopefully, that will carry

over. Our children are our future and it is up to us to ensure they have all the tolls

available to prevent ending their life prematurely.