Is It Safe to Use Cell Phone While Driving - Essay Example

Is it safe to use cell phone while driving? The question on safe driving has been sensitized considering the number of accidents recorded as a cause of irresponsible driving. This is more so in the modern day world where lots of accidents on the roads have been credited to the use of mobile phones whilst driving. This according to analysts leads to distracted driving as more drivers have been in focus more on their conversations as opposed to safe driving. It is this verity that has led to the modern safety tips on driving being based on the sensitization of responsible driving. Responsible driving focuses on the way in which drivers respect the basic road rules and signs. The issue on the use of cell phones while driving has been controversial since people has different stands on the issue. Using of cell phones while driving has been made illegal in many countries even with varying reactions on the issue. This is after considering the number of accidents caused by drivers on cell phones while driving. Is it safe to use cell phones while driving? This paper will analyze different texts on their position on this issue. The essay shall focus on whether accidents have reduced after sensitization or not. The text will also include evidence from the analyzed articles on the effects of driving while on a cell phone. The article by Rosenbloom supports and the same time criticizes the use of cells while driving. The article highlights a study conducted on twenty three drivers on their effects on speed while using a cell phone (Rosenbloom 207). The study was conducted on 10 minutes into driving while using a cell phone and ten minutes while not using the cell phone. In an argument by Rosenbloom, drivers who engaged in short phone calls did not change their driving speed (207). However, drivers who took long on their cells, over 16 minutes, increased their driving speed (Rosenbloom, 207). The article asserts that other factors such as time spent on phone should be considered when citing the dangers of using cells while driving. In an argument by Constandache, Choudhury & Rhee it is possible to provide a driver with location as they drive through their phones (1). Comparing this article to the question on the safety of mobile use while driving, it is an obvious assumption the author believe in its safety since a driver will be well directed. Constandache, Choudhury & Rhee suggested the use of CompAcc as a way in which a driver could use their phones as a safety measure while driving in an unknown location (9). The authors tend to assert that driving in an unknown location minus the use if their cell phones are in greater danger than a driver using their mobile phones to get directions (Constandache, Choudhury & Rhee 9). However, the article does not include the safety of using mobile phones for other purposes during driving. According to their presentation it is a safety measure to incorporate the use of a mobile phone while driving especially in an unknown location. Fazeen et.al also supports the use of a mobile application in assuring the security of a driver (1462). The article recognizes the dangers a driver is exposed to while driving in an unknown location (Fazeen et.al 1462). From this assumption the article proposes the use of mobile phones to access a mobile application that will provide knowledge to the driver on the external condition of the location they are driving in. in an argument by Fazeen et.al it is a modern safety measure that has been proven for its effectiveness (1462). The article dismisses the assumptions created to prove the negativity of using mobile phones while on the wheel. However, the article limits its argument to the use of mobile phones only to provide information on the external environment. From the argument presented, the use of mobile phones while driving is praised and painted as effective and advisable. The article by Poysti, Rajalin & Summala point the use of mobile phones while driving as inappropriate and risky (47). However, the article considers situation whereby the use mobile phones while on the wheel posed less risk. For instance, Poysti, Rajalin and Summala argue that high skilled drivers are in minimal danger of accidents even if they use mobile phones while driving (47). Regardless of this statistic, the use of mobile of phones while on the wheel is hazardous to any driver. Poysti, Rajalin and Summala point out that the applications aimed at increasing the safety of drivers may be appropriate but a person using a phone while driving is at risk of being involved in an accident (47). From the article, the use of mobile phones has been viewed as a way that increases the risks a driver is exposed to. In addition, the level of concentration of a person using a mobile phone is minimized regardless of the form of operation they are conducting from their phones. In the contemporary world, the use of mobile technology is common. Despite it being considered dangerous, the practice is still common. Individuals with low skills in handling the device have been said to be the most affected with this threat (Pöysti, Rajalin & Summala 47). Such persons have been indicated to have low self motivation and can barely drive while using their mobile phones (Pöysti, Rajalin & Summala 47). The practice has caused numerous accidents, and the statistics are expected to rise if nothing much is done. It is this reality that has prompted to the legislation that driving whilst on phone illegal. It is also worth noting that other legislations have been made that have banned handheld phone use. However, Pöysti, Rajalin & Summala say that the potential risks of the use of mobile phone while driving affects all genders and persons of all ages (49). The writers also indicate that the use of mobile phones while driving is being controlled strategically so as to control the threat (Pöysti, Rajalin & Summala 50). It is vital to note that the accidents related to the use of mobile are decreasing with time (Pöysti, Rajalin & Summala 50). The same argument on the fact that the use of cell phones while driving is hazardous supported in the article by Beede and Kaas. The authors assert that the slightest distraction made by a mobile phone may have an impact on the driver while on the road. The article includes the study of 36 college students while driving. Their driving efficiency was measured in consideration of traffic violations, response time, driving maintenance and attention lapses (Beede & Kaas 415). In addition, apart from the physical distractions provided in handling the phone while driving, talking on the phone while driving creates a cognitive distraction (Beede & Kaas 416). For this reason, all the students tested failed in at least one of the tested categories. From the argument presented in the article, it is an obvious assumption that engaging in a conversation while driving exposes a driver to risks created due to the driver’s distraction. Beede & Kaas’s research also concluded that use of cell phones while driving has led to accidents while driving (416). Schlehofer et.al point out that there is an annual recording of 2600 motor vehicle deaths that can be connected to the use mobile phones while driving (1107). The textbacksthisargument from the fact that driving needs the full attention of a driver to make simulation more efficient. Mobile phone use while driving provides a distraction which limits the level of simulation in a driver (Schlehofer et.al 1107). The text also opposes the technology that is incorporated in mobile forms for mapping purposes. The level of accidents related to the use of mobile phones while driving will increase in coming years with accepting such advances (Schlehofer et.al 1112). The article statistically proves that driving while using a mobile phone provides enough distraction for a driver to lose concentration. Additionally, the use of a mobile phone while driving can never be advantageous to the driver. The same argument is supported by Zhao et.al; they point out those drivers who use mobile phones while driving are more prone to accidents than drivers who do not (71). In addition, a driver using a cell phone while driving is likely to commit a traffic offense than a driver who is not using a cell (Zhao et.al 71). The article highlights the difficulties drivers experience when using cell phones while on the wheel. The article considers driving as a complex task which requires the full attention of a driver. While using a cell, a driver introduces another task which also demands attention of the brain. The collision of these two requirements minimizes a driver’s efficiency on the wheel. From this analysis, one may rule out any possibility that the use of a mobile phone while driving may be a safety measure. The article creates the assumption that the use of a cell during driving is risky and hazardous. Rakauskas, Gugerty and Ward embrace the assumption that a driver may handle the workload presented by the use a mobile phone while driving (453). However, the use of cells while driving exposes a driver to a certain level of distraction that is enough to cause an accident. Rakauskas, Gugerty & Ward argues that drivers who engage in cell phone conversations while driving may feel an unintentional obligation to speed (453). This is created by the inability of the brain to handle the pressure and workload presented by engaging in two activities simultaneously. Consequently, it is an obvious assumption that cell phones provide just the right distraction for a driver to make a mistake. The article dismisses any assumption that a cell phone may be a safe gadget to use while driving. In addition, the workload presented to the brain while using a cell as well as driving cannot be handled by a person’s psychological ability (Rakauskas, Gugerty and Ward 453). Conclusively, it is warranted to argue that road accidents resulting from using mobile phones while driving have been alarming. This trend is unlikely to change with studies supporting the use of cells. However, regardless of the justification of the use of mobile phones for mapping purposes does not overshadow the evidence presented on the negativity of using a cell while driving. The articles reviewed in the paper share an obvious assumption that the use of mobile phones is more risky than the possibilities presented on its advantages. Works Cited Beede., Kristen & Kaas, Steven. Engrossed in conversation: The impact of cell phones on simulated driving performance. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 38 (2006) 415–421. Constandache, Ionut., Choudhury, Romit. & Rhee, Injong. Towards Mobile Phone Localization without War-Driving.IEEE INFOCOM, (2010) 1-9. Fazeen, Mohamed.,Gozick, Brandon., Dantu, Ram., Bhukhiya, Moiz& González, Marta. Safe Driving Using Mobile Phones.IEEE transactions on intelligent transportation systems, 13 (2012) 1462-1468. Pöysti, Leena., Rajalin, Sirpa. & Summala, Heikki. Factors influencing the use of cellular (mobile) phone during driving and hazards while using it. Accident Analysis and Prevention 37 (2005) 47–51. Rakauskas, Michael., Gugerty, Leo & Ward, Nicholas. Effects of naturalistic cell phone conversations on driving performance.Journal of Safety Research 35 (2004) 453– 464. Rosenbloom, Tova. Driving performance while using cell phones: An observational study.Journal of Safety Research, 37 (2006) 207 – 212. Schlehofer, Michelle., Thompson, Suzanne., Ting, Sarah., Ostermann, Sharon., Nierman, Angela. &Skenderian, Jessica.Psychological predictors of college students’ cell phone use while driving. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42 (2010) 1107–1112. Zhao, Nan., Reimer, Bryan., Mehler, Bruce., D’Ambrosio, Lisa. & Coughlin, Joseph.Self-reported and observed risky driving behaviors among frequent and infrequent cell phone users. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 61 (2013) 71– 77. Read More