IP: more on (the last) What really distracts drivers Study: All cell phones distract drivers

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

From: Dave Wilson <dave () wilson net>

> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> Subject: Re: IP: What really distracts drivers Study: All cell phones
>   distract  drivers
>
> For IP if you like; based on federal study.
>
> -dave
>
> Lawmakers in N.Y. Too Hung Up on Cell Phones
> Dave Wilson
>
> July 5 2001
>
> There was a time, not so long ago, when the standard response to any local
> calamity was accusing the village eccentric of witchcraft and doing him or
> her in. Today, we live in an age of reason, a time when we don't force
> changes down people's throats without making some serious efforts at
> theorizing, data collection and analysis.
>
> Then there is New York, which will soon become the first state to ban the
> use of hand-held cellular phones while driving. Hands-free phones are fine,
> but anybody driving with a phone up to an ear is breaking the law. This
> move comes despite the fact that the best data on the subject is ambiguous.
> There's no solid statistical evidence linking accidents to cell phones.
>
> Sure, there's lots of anecdotal evidence that using a cell phone in the car
> can distract drivers. But current data suggest that other distractions are
> much more hazardous. We're not talking bizarro behavior here. Sure, we've
> all seen people do crazy things while behind the wheel. I've observed
> drivers shaving (with lather), changing a diaper, nursing a child,
> servicing a skateboard and working on what appeared to be an oil painting.
> I'm not even talking about stuff that's common but stupid, such as reading
> a magazine.
>
> According to the vast federal database on the subject, far more drivers
> involved in accidents say they were distracted by activities such as
> changing the radio or adjusting the air conditioning than by talking on the
> cell phone.
>
> Those numbers come courtesy of data collected by the National Highway
> Traffic Safety Administration using a system that culls information from
> 5,000 crashes annually involving at least one passenger vehicle that had to
> be towed from the scene. Since 1995, the system has tracked incidents of
> driver distraction. NHTSA estimates that a quarter of all accidents are the
> result of driver distraction.
>
> The University of North Carolina's Highway Safety Research Center is in the
> process of analyzing that data under a contract with the Automobile Assn.
> of America's Foundation for Traffic Safety. Jane C. Stutts, director of
> epidemiological research at the center, presented findings from the first
> phase of the study before the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit in
> May.
>
> <snip>
>
> http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-000055313jul05.column



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