Why has texting while driving been correlated to driving while intoxicated?
Simulation studies versus alcohol Means and standard errors (in parentheses) for the Alcohol, Base line, and Cell-Phone conditions Alcohol Base line Cell Phone Total Accidents 0 0 3 Brake Onset Time (msec) 888 (51) 943 (58) 1022 (61) Braking Force (% of maximum) 69.6 (3.6) 56.4 (2.5) 55.2 (2.9) Speed (MPH) 52.8 (.08) 54.9 (.08) 53.2 (.07) Following Distance (meters) 26.5 (1.7) 27.3 (1.3) 28.5 (1.6) ½ Recovery Time 5.4 (0.3) 5.4 (0.3) 6.2 (0.4) Simulations are particularly useful for comparing cell phone use while driving with the known-dangerous drunk driving. A 2003 study by University of Utah Psychology department measured response time, following distance, and driving speed of a control group, subjects at the legal BAC limit of 0.08%, and subjects involved in cell phone conversations. Data from the report are listed to the right. From the report: Drivers in the cell-phone condition exhibited a sluggish behavior (i.e., slower reactions) which they attempted to compensate for by incre
Mobile phone use while driving is common but controversial. Being distracted while operating a motor vehicle has been shown to increase the risk of accident. Because of this, many governments have made the use of a cell phone while driving illegal. Increased risk The American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that the distraction created by the use of a cellular telephone while driving is similar to that associated with other distractions in increasing crash risk. However, the data are insufficient to indicate the magnitude of the safety problem.[1] [edit] Case-crossover studies A 1997 American study [2] and a 2005 Australian study [3] both estimated the risk of a collision when using a cellular telephone was four times higher than the risk when a cellular telephone was not being used. 699 and 456 drivers, respectively, who owned phones, were involved in crashes, and volunteered for the studies were examined. By collecting volunteers’ cell phone records, scien
