Mobile Phones Blind Drivers
from the yet-again dept
Here is yet another study on the impact of mobile phones being used while driving. This one says (again) that people drive even worse when using a mobile phone. They also found that it doesn't matter if they're using a hands-free kit - and, in fact, people using hands free system may be "lulled into a sense of security" by it. In looking at why this occurs, they studied where people looked, and found that using a mobile phone gives people a sort of "tunnel vision". They stop paying attention to what's happening in their peripheral vision. Also bad news is that the drivers who were on mobile phones didn't believe that they were driving any worse than others. Of course, it appears the guy who ran the study was biased, as he is quoted saying, "Sometimes you have to actually do the silly study that shows the obvious." This suggests he set up the study not to see what really happens but to prove a point. At the same time, I will (once again) bring up the point about driver distractions: there are tons of driver distractions. Are we going to try to eliminate them all, one by one? Eventually you won't be allowed to drive with anyone else in the car at all. Having to look down at the dashboard to see how fast you're going takes your eyes off the road. That's a distraction. It's tough to determine where to draw that line.
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Ban 'em
Seriously, let them chase after the idiots putting on eye makeup, lipstick and shaving while driving for a while.
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Like Drunk Driving
And when the next asshole talking on the cell plows his SUV into an emptying school bus and kills 7 kids, people will view cell phones differently.
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WHAT ABOUT RAODSIDE ADVERTISEMENTS
-Zhadow
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