Cell Phone use while driving

As a general rule I do not watch the Oprah Show, but I did on Monday, January 18th. The subject matter was driving while using the cell phone to either text or talk. The show mainly focused on individuals who text-and-drive, but it also included some information for those of us who talk-and-drive along with the corresponding tragic results when either activity is involved.

Confession, I’m guilty of this offense. I especially like to talk-n-drive while going over to DeLand to check on our property. It is a long lonely drive when I am by myself. Good talk radio shows are hard to find so talking to someone helps pass the time, but no longer. This show was a sobering and a real eye opener.

Text-n-drive is like driving drunk! We all know about the deadly results of drinking and driving. None of us would ever do that! Who would have thought that text-n-drive produced the same results. Wow!

I didn’t catch the comparison concerning talk-n-drive, but it cannot be far behind.

“But wait,” you say, “I’m great at multi-tasking!”

The show anticipated that response. Three individuals (two females and one male) were taken through a driving course to simulate another car stopping suddenly in front of the car they were driving, as well as an obstacle course. All 3 participants did well when they were concentrating on the road, but when they were busy texting they all failed miserably. This was especially sobering for the male participant since he usually has his wife and their four children in the car with him. His line has always been, “I’m really great at multi-tasking,” but this proved him wrong.

“Well,” you state, “texting requires the person to take their eyes off the road. Naturally that would be unsafe. I only talk on the phone while keeping my eyes on the road ahead of me all the time!” Yeah, right!

As to talk-n-drive they had an expert who testified that the brain simply cannot handle all of the data at the same time. A graphic was used to illustrate. They showed a picture of what a driver normally sees when he/she is just driving, but when talking on the cell phone the field of vision narrows drastically. Your mind simply cannot handle all of the images. Plus, when talking on the phone not only does your field of vision narrows there are a number of objects that your mind just won’t register even if they are directly in front of you – like a child on a bike.

The braking results for either of these activities will add about 30 feet to your stopping distance in an emergency. 30 feet! That could mean the difference between life and death for a child!

Oprah’s call was sobering. It is time for the United States to join the rest of the world in banning the use of cell phones while driving. Some of our states have passed such a law while others haven’t. I wonder how many deaths it will take before something is done.

If you would like to read a transcript of the show you can go to:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/End-Distracted-Driving/2

Quote for today: “Life is about the people around you… not in your BlackBerry or iPhone.” Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google