Results of Cell Phone Study Surprise Researchers

A recent study on cell phone use by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, has left researchers puzzled. According to the findings, banning cell phone use in cars not only failed to reduce crashes but appeared to make no difference whatsoever.

The researchers studied crash data from California, New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., following the bans those states implemented on hand-held cell phone use while driving. The number of crashes occurring before and after the ban were virtually identical despite decreased cell phone use by drivers. As one researcher put it, “We can’t even see a blip in the data.”

The researchers measured cell phone use by going to street corners and exit ramps and counting how many drivers were holding cell phones to their heads before and after the bans took effect. They estimated a decline in cell phone use of 41% to 76%. Because previous studies demonstrated that drivers using cell phones were four times as likely to crash, the researchers expected to find fewer crashes.

Researchers now must ferret out what this means. One possibility is that drivers in those states switched to hands-free phones, which, it has often been noted, are just as distracting as hand-held devices.

The more daunting possibility is that cell phones are just one example of driver distraction that happened to get a lot of attention because it’s a relatively new technology. In this case, we are all living in a driver-distracted world, and everything from fiddling with the stereo or trying to read street signs in an unfamiliar neighborhood bring their own set of risks.

Results of Study on CellPhone Use Surprise Researchers (Wheels)

Comments

cell phone use while driving is a driving distraction none the less. hand held or hands free, your not focusing on the road, your thinking and speaking about what your gonna do later tonight with your partner.

It means that drivers have determined that the law has no teeth. It is never enforced on a day to day basis. Much like any number of infractions that aren't enforced, jaywalking, rolling stop signs etc, there's not penalty for breaking the law.

Actually, it's our brain chemistry - to be more correct, physiology.

Our brain is NOT a multiprocessor. We can't receive 2 simultaneous input and logically provide 2 CORRECT output currently. It's the same part of our brain that formulates all incoming info which requires us to provide a complex output. Our subconscious part of the brain can't handle complex response.

The study really requires focus on how our brain works, because, using another very simple example, trying talking on the phone while playing a video game (or if you don't have video game, try playing a musical instruments, or write an email, or in fact, watch a movie). What's the 1st thg we would do? I bet it's gonnabe, "hey, can I call u back in a minute? I'm onto sthg else right now."

I have never used a cell phone while driving - EVER.

I found that it distracted me from reading the newspaper or a book while driving.

Are you making that up Amuro Ray? People play online video games all day and all night long while they chat simultaneously.

Have you ever heard of anybody SINGING while they play a musical instrument?

People talk while watching movies all the time. And, they still comprehend what they are seeing.

Don't make up stuff and pretend like you're educated. Your points are all false.

Our brains ARE microprocessors. They DO "receive 2 simultaneous input and logically provide 2 CORRECT output currently," as you stated with incredibly poor grammar.

I have no problem talking on my blue tooth head piece while driving as it frees me up to put on my make-up, do my hair, and make some coffee. I could have you saved you the money this study cost.

GR,

To break down ur so-called argument individually... :)

(1) In order to sing when u play the musical instruments, u MUST first repeated play the song with the musical instrument to the point u don't even have to think how to play that song. Then and only then, can u sing...and assuming that u also know the song by heart already. Try playing the instrument the 1st time when u know nothing 'bou the song or the lyrics of the song. See how it's going to be like? How do I know? 'coz I do play muscial instruments in a professional level in the past, as well as a singer for various professional classical music choir/opera play.

(2) Try this yourself with a friend of yours: try having your friend talk to you throughout the movie - with a bunch of phone numbers and some daily activies - and watch the movie the 1st time, then after the movie, have your friend asks ur a question about a specific of a portion of the movie, and see if you remember it...? Sure u say u can WATCH the movie while talking, but to remember the specific detail of the movie, then's another story. Watching doesn't require our brain to go into the logical thinking mode, which means it goes "in" and that's it. Recalling specifics, otoh, requires our brain to produce specific chemicals/electrical charge to store that info.

(3) poor grammar...I c, so that's how u think that my explanation is false, because I've poor grammar. Is that the argument? BTW, I stated, "You CAN'T" in front of the statement u quoted, which I did miss the plural form of inputs/outputs.

The pt being: talking on the phone requires us to receive some inputs, think, then provide some logical responses (outputs). Driving, otoh, requires us to look at the driving conditions, evaluate, then response with the correct feedback. Both requires us to use the frontal portion of our brain due to "reasoning/problem solving." Here's a short lecture for u.

Our brains are not microprocessor like u think. Sure it can receive multiple messages at the same time, but there are different portions of our brains, and each message actually goes into the appropriate portion. If however, having 2 messages going to the same portion at the same time, then one must be done first, followed by the other. I guess a 4 year university degree did teach me a thing of 2...but yes, english wasn't my major...and GR, u do need some sort of university level education in order to comprehend what I've said. Butt kicked.

Oh, I almost missed the 1st point. You just generalize online game play/chat. What video games are u referring to? More importantly, just because someone is playing the video games and chatting, that doesn't mean the 2 actions are happening concurrently. In fact, they do happen in sequence, but very quick sequence indeed. More over, many of the messages during chat are left out. How 'bou u try this: while playing an extremely intense online game, have ur buddy chat the sequence # of some activation key, while you are still playing, and try not to die in the gameplay for another 5 min. After gameplay, recall the key.

Amuro Ray, you just repeated yourself. No new information. The same unsubstantiated statements with poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You're still an idiot trying to convince yourself that you are intelligent. Nobody is fooled.

How 'bou that, you dolt.

I can dispute your claims again but I prefer not to flog a dead horse.

GR is getting pissy ...

Amuro's right, our brains can pay attention to 2 tasks serially, not simultaneously. A movie and a phone conversation is rarely individually so complex and fast-paced that you need constant attention paid to both at all times. Besides, if you missed a line or two of a movie when the conversation got interesting, it won't matter (and don't tell me you've never missed any lines in a movie, even when you're not talking on the phone). However, if you fail to react to a vehicle turning unexpectedly, you are SOL.

if freeing up both hands while driving made a difference in safety, then they need to ban cars with manual transmission too, and anything else that requires you to take a hand off the steering wheel.