Get plastered for science and talk on your phone
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Comment Below]
By Danielle Bachan
A recent study conducted by the University of Utah Psychology Department claims that driving while talking on your cell phone is as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol. The goal of the study was to understand what makes people assume they are driving safely while talking on their cell phones. Startling evidence from the study showed that “while some of the participants crashed in a virtual vehicle while sober and chatting, none of them crashed while drunk.” Volunteers were given alcoholic drinks until the legal blood alcohol limit (.08) was reached. The participants were then instructed to drive. Other volunteers were instructed to talk on their phones and drive. All tests were performed on a virtual driving course.
The test showed that the talking drivers drove slower, failed to maintain a safe driving distance and were, on average, slower to hit the brakes. The drunk drivers also drove slower but were much more aggressive than the talking drivers. Throughout all findings, none of the drunk drivers crashed.
These results may seem a little off beat, but according to University of Utah Psychology Department member Frank Dews, “This study does not mean people should start driving drunk … It means talking on your cell phone is as bad as, or maybe worse than, driving drunk.”
Many drivers who talk on their cell phones are unaware of the risks they cause, just as drunk drivers believe that the problem is not them. The cell phone talkers are very likely to miss out on potentially dangerous situations on the road due to being engaged in a conversation, thus posing a greater risk to those around them.
The use of a hands-free device seemed to be the answer, but new laws are making just about any form of yapping illegal when behind the wheel. Many areas throughout the United States are beginning to make the roads safer by regulating drivers’ cell phone use. New York was the first state to ban drivers from using hand-held cells.
Other recent reports and studies have declared hands-free devices just as distracting as a hand-held model. Anne McCartt, VP for research and author of the cell phone study stated that either phone type increased the risk.
The Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office stated that there are currently no laws in place in Louisiana regarding cell phone usage in vehicles.
“I can assure you that the sheriff’s office does not have this as one of our top priorities,” declared Fred Raiford III, Administrative Assistant at the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.
Talking on a cell phone while driving is considered by many as “multi-tasking” rather than a possible driving hazard. However, while this may be public perception, the national Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined that a driver’s risk of getting into an accident is three times higher when the driver is on a cell phone.
. I started out thinking that we should all just dip our ties in cheap rye whiskey, but that isn't real professional and I don't want to scare the pax. I've recently thought about wadding up a kleenex and dipping it in Jack, wearing it through security, and then tossing it into the trash after clearing security. Both of those plans actually require that we have some Jack somewhere in our possession, which could be trouble, so they're out of consideration. '
