Inside The Car, Inside Your Mind
from the not-so-simple dept
With all the stories and arguments out there over whether or not using a mobile phone while driving causes driver distraction, here are some results from a fascinating study that suggests it's not talking on the phone itself that causes the distraction, but it's often what you're talking about. If it's just a quick call to say you're on your way, or to discuss something simple, it doesn't seem to have much of an impact. In fact, the study found that things going on in your mind can have a much bigger impact on how you drive. So, people who are driving long, familiar routes may "tune out" and start focusing on something else, making them much more distracted than if they were on a mobile phone. If they were on a mobile phone, they might even pay more attention to the road, to make sure they're doing okay. So, the simple concept of banning all mobile phones while driving doesn't take into account any of these factors, and could cause just as many problems as it solves.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Headsets and Ditches
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Driven to Distraction
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Overhype/Overcomplicate
From my own informal surveys, a VERY high percentage of the cars behaving in such a way as to cause an issue for surrounding traffice involve a driver on the phone...
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