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Two More Good Reasons Not to Use Your Cell Phone in the Car
by Susan Dunn, MA, Emotional Intelligence Coach REASON NO. ONE Interrogatory No. 1: Please give a full description of exactly how the collision made the basis of this lawsuit occurred. Interrogatory No. 2: Was a cell phone in use in your vehicle at the time of the accident? Is so, state the name of the cell phone provider, the cell phone number, who was using the cell phone and the name of the person who receives the bill for the cell phone. REASON NUMBER TWO Request for Production No. 1: Produce your cellular phone records that cover the month during which the accident made the basis of this lawsuit occurred. HERE COME the rest of us pleading with you to take heed. If this is showing up in Discovery in personal injury lawsuits, it means that we, the people, know there's a connection, whether or not the research scientists can statistically "prove" cause and effect. And now you know your cell records can and may be subpoened if you're involved in a driving accident. Your server can also be ascertained by entering your cell phone number into a reverse phone directory. Your name won't be given, but the service provider's will - www.reversephonedirectory.com . SO WHY NOT TURN THE THING OFF! If you're not concerned about yourself, and the lives of other adults, did you know that vehicle accidents are still one of the leading causes of death to children and adolescents? Cell phone usage is now one of the big three in Discovery, right up there with "describe whether you had consumed any alcoholic beverage or taken any prescription or non-prescription medication..." STATISTICS In Texas, in 2001, there were 1,032 accidents with 8 fatalities where cell phone usage was coded a contributing factor. This was an increase of 44.1% over the preceding year, and that was 3 years ago. GET RID OF IT HANDS-HELD OR NOT Whether you're holding it or not doesn't make much difference. A study conducted at the University of Utah, reported by Strayer et al in "Does Cell Phone Conversation Impair Driving Performance," found that: (1) people engaged in cell phone conversations missed twice as many simulated traffic signals as when they were not talking on the cell; (2) people engaged in cell phone conversations took longer to react to those signals than that they did detect; and (3) these deficits were equivalent for both hand-held and hands-free cell phone users. Note that conversation itself disturbs, so imagine what dialing does. According to the National Public Services Research Institute for AAA: 1. Intense or complex conversation on cell phones leads to the greatest increases in overlooking significant highway traffic conditions and response time. 2. The distracting effect of cellular phone use among drivers over age 50 is 2-3 times as great and encompasses all tasks - placing calls, simple conversations, and complex conversations. Cell phone use for seniors increases response time by 33-38%. 3. Prior experience with cellular phones has no effect on distraction levels. 4. Only reading a map and changing a cassette tape while driving prove higher risk. (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute) In the case of collision, according to a University of Toronto study, "Association Between Cellular-Telephone Calls and Motor Vehicle Collision": (1) The risk of collision when using a cell is 4 times higher regardless of the age or the driving experience of the driver (2) Hands-free cellular phone units offered NO SAFETY ADVANTAGE over hand-held (3) Note, in all cases the driver wasn't necessarily "at fault" but it still slowed their ability to avoid a collision caused by someone else. INATTENTION The Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) is a census of police-reported fatal accidents occurring in the US. In one analysis of fatalities involving cell phone use, the cell phone-using drivers were all in the "striking vehicle. That is, they struck something stopped in front of them, or left their lane of traffic and struck a vehicle or object. In these crashes, 75% of the drivers were engaged in conversation, 13% were dialing their cell phones, and 13% were hanging up. Of those engaged in conversation, a third were using mounted phones in the hands-free mode. Again, please note that the hand-held doesn't make any difference. IN SUMMARY It's plain and simple - cell phone while driving is a distraction we can't afford. Driver error contributes to over 90% of collisions in the first place. Why compound this with cell phone usage? They're great for productivity and personal safety. Just make sure you aren't using yours to call the EMS and the police after a car accident caused by the fact you were using it while driving. Go here: http://www.nysgtsc.state.ny.us/phon-ndx.htm for tips for safe cellular phone use in the car. ©Susan Dunn, MA, Emotional Intelligence Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Coaching, Internet courses, teleclasses and ebooks for your personal and professional development. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE ezine; put "ezine" for subject line.
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