Media Effects On Distracted Driving

In today’s world, we rely heavily on our media. Unfortunately, some people use it while driving. All generations are anxiously engaged in media. People keeping in touch with friends through email, text and various social media outlets, catching up on the latest news, using GPS for directions and entertaining themselves with games. While media generates daily opportunities, it also creates challenges. Using media while driving is one of those challenges. Anything that takes the drivers attention off the road is considered a distraction. While media generates daily opportunities, it also creates challenges. Media’s availability makes it difficult for individuals to remain mentally and physically focused while driving.
Statistics prove driver distraction can cause accidents, injuries and death. In the article “Distracted Driving: Facts and Statistics” states “In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers” (par. 5). Distracted driving is increasing as media and electronic devices are improving. From 2005 to 2008, distracted driving has increased. In 2005 there were 4572 fatalities involving distracted driving. It increased to 5870 fatalities in 2008. A 28% incline of accidents as more electronic devices are developing. In 2008,
approximately one in every six fatal vehicle collisions was caused by a distracted driver. (Wilson 1). In “Distracted Driving: Facts and Statistics”, it talks about the usage of electronic devices while driving. “At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010” (par. 10).
The longer your eyes are taken away from the road the more likely you are caused to cause accidents, injuries, and deaths. When someone responds to a text while driving, their attention is taken away from the road for a minimum of five seconds. “Text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction . . . . Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded.” (Distracted Driving par. 12). Imagine driving at 55mph and looking down at your phone to look at a text, looking at destinations and where to go on your maps, seeing a phone call, a text that just came in, changing a radio station or turning up the volume in your vehicle, interacting with other passengers in your car, and many more things. From that time that you look back up and concentrate on the road you are not entirely focused. “It takes a driver up to 27 seconds to regain focus after using a smartphone or vehicle voice system to ask for directions, send a text, take a call or change music” (Jorgensen par. 2). With five seconds of your eyes taken off the road, along with about 27 seconds to regain focus after using a media event, you’ve lost driving attention for at least 32 seconds. Over half of a minute is plenty of time for an accident to happen.
Taking five seconds of your focused driving time can be life threatening. In January of 2013, a young woman’s life was changed forever. In the news article “Texting Driver Who Nearly Severed Utah Women’s Leg Gets 6 Months in Jail, Probation” a story is told. While standing next to her car, she was suddenly struck by a vehicle driven by a 28 year old texting driver. Officer Butcher, who investigated the accident, said the driver was sending his wife a text which read, “haha.” The 19 year-old girl could have lost both of her legs because of this simple text. Luckily, there were two good Samaritans who saw the crash and helped the victim immediately. The texting driver received the maximum sentence, six months in jail, followed by 18 months of probation and a small fine. The young woman endured eleven surgeries and months of hospitalization to save her legs. Her father and mother were torn when they learned that she was hit by a texting driver. They too confessed to texting and driving. It broke their hearts knowing it could have been them who had hit someone (Liesik par. 3-5). It could have been anyone. There are many texting and driving incidents which have caused injury or death. Another one is from the news article “Vernal Teen Dies after Being Hit by Texting Driver, Police Say.” In September 2012, Clark, a 15 year old boy, and his friend were walking on the side of the road, in Vernal, Utah. They were struck from behind by a pickup truck. Clark was thrown 40 feet and his friend was also injured. Clark’s friend had some minor injuries. Clark was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and later transported by helicopter to the Primary Children’s Medical Center where later Clark passed away. The driver that hit Clark and his friend was a texting driver. He was texting at the time he struck the two boys on the road (Liesik par. 4-7).
Distracted driving goes beyond just using media in some form or if you are at a standstill while driving. Anything that takes your focus off the road and driving is a distraction. Grooming, eating, drinking, talking to passengers, reading, looking in the visor mirror, adjusting the radio, CD player, or MP3 player. These are all distractions. “A 2015 Erie Insurance distracted driving survey reported that drivers do all sorts of dangerous things behind the wheel, including brushing teeth and changing clothes. The survey also found that one-third of drivers admitted to texting while driving and three-quarters saying they’ve seen others do it” (Distracted Driving par. 11). Distracted driving doesn’t just occur when the vehicle is in operation. People using media while stopped at a light or sign are just as dangerous as using media and driving. For example people use media while stopped at stop light or sign. This is just as dangerous as being distracted while driving. “The incidence of texting at the light was found to be 14.5 %. This rate is nearly five times that seen among those drivers whose vehicles were moving; it is also more than twice the incidence rate of drivers talking on their device while stopped” (Bernstein and Bernstein 3). Studies have found that text messaging is associated with more driver errors even when the vehicle is at a standstill, as Bernstein and Bernstein explain. This happens more often than distracted driving does. Studies have found that text-messaging while driving associate with more driver errors and crashes even while at a standstill. Bernstein and Bernstein explain why, they state, “The driver may not be able to respond quickly enough to sudden changes in road conditions, such as an ambulance passing though . . . . Or checking a text message while sitting at the light. After looking up and noticing that the light had turned green, rushing to accelerate and rear-ending the car in front of them which was slower to take off” (2). Voice-command systems have given people the idea that they are less distracted as they drive. The newer the vehicles get the more improvements and hands-free they become. These new improvements have made it so you can set a destination through voice command, call and talk on the phone hands free, change and play music, and change heat/AC. There are many more advancements to the voice-command systems. They have even made it easier in some vehicles by putting an additional control for the radio such as the volume control and radio channel station control on the steering wheel, making it more accessible and less distracting for the driver. Vehicle commercials today demonstrate the positives of voice command systems. A commercial for the new Chevrolet Malibu shows a woman using Apple Car Play to open maps. When the system responds, she says, “She gets me” (“2016 Chevrolet Malibu Commercial the Car You Never Expected.”). This commercial is relevant to why it gives individuals the idea that voice-command systems are positive. Vehicle commercials are trying to point out positives to sell vehicles. When researchers test those voice-command systems there are many of negatives to them.
Every year vehicle manufacturers improve voice command systems with the intention of preventing accidents. “Although voice-command systems allow drivers to keep their eyes on the road, they may make it hard for drivers to keep their minds on the road” (Jorgensen par. 1). David Strayer, a University of Utah physiology professor and Jorgensen’s study co-author explains, “We don’t multitask as good as we think or would like. We’re just not that good at it.” Even while driving and using the hands free voice-command systems we can be just as distracted. “Test results show that using certain voice-command systems while driving can be equally or more distracting than texting while driving” (Jorgensen par. 12). Hands free devices can be just as dangerous as any other activities while driving. In ‘Even ‘Hands-Free Devices Unsafe While Driving”, Steven Reinberg interviews Peter Kissinger, the president and CEO of AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Kissinger states, "Hands-free is not risk-free, even though three out of four motorists believe it is. We know now that devices like voice-detect or voice-to-email systems can create substantial mental distractions, which can lead to degradation of driving performance" (Reinberg 2). Although new voice command systems are hands-free like Peter Kissinger said, “[it] is not risk free.” They may be able to keep their eyes on the road but there is always going to be a mental distraction.
The purpose of voice command systems is to prevent distracted driving, but they also generate complications. In the article “Voice-Command Systems Still Distracting to Drivers” it states, “They [manufacturers] make a promise that they [systems] are a safe alternative, but they [systems] just don’t always function as promised” (Dee-Ann par. 9). In the aforementioned study, David Strayer continues, "When the technology doesn't work, when it calls the wrong person or sends a gibberish message, your primary task shifts completely from driving to try to correct that errant behavior . . . . That is really a bad situation" (Jorgensen par. 15). When the voice command doesn’t work properly, the associated frustration adds to a driver’s distraction.
Distractions while driving are all bad from statistics proven, however some are more distracting and create a high risk than others. An even scarier statistic is that one in every five drivers confesses to surfing the web and texting while driving (Shaw par. 4). In a personal survey of 100 peers, ages 17 to 20, I asked, “When using media while driving, Do you… text, call, play games, surf web, change the music on your phone that is playing through your speakers, use maps through your car or phone, use Siri or Hey Google through your phone, other, or none.” 6% admitted to surfing the web while driving and 3% admitted to playing games. Although that may not seem like a lot, take into account that two out of every 35 people on the road drive while surfing the web, 77% admit to using other forms of media and 73% of them know the associated dangers, laws and restrictions (Kettle).
Driving is a leading cause of death in Utah. In the article “'Very Disturbing': Utah Traffic Deaths Rise for Third Year in a Row.” UDOT executive Director Carlos Barceras states, “Last year, 275 people died on Utah roads. As many as 94% of them were preventable – caused by human error such as distracted driving, impaired driving or driving without a seatbelt” (Chen par. 5). 94% of those deaths were caused by silly mistakes that we make every day. Distracted driving being a main part of that statistic. Driving while distracted is worse than driving impaired. “Motorists talking on hand-held or hands-free cellular phones are much more likely to crash than those who don’t. Talking on a cell phone impairs you in much the same way as being drunk. Drink [sic] driving puts you and others at risk – so does talking on a cell phone” (Shereves 1).
The punishment of using media and driving can be horrible. If you were to be pulled over for texting and driving today, you’d receive a fine of 750 dollars and 90 days in jail. If you hurt someone while texting and driving, you would receive a fine of 1,000 dollars and 6 months in jail. Lastly, if you were to cause the death of another individual your fine is 10,000 dollars and 15 years in prison (Shaw par. 7). Another question from my person survey was “Are you aware of the punishments of using some sort of media and driving?” Over 75% of my peers knew the punishment for being caught using media while driving. 78% of drivers use media while driving, yet when in another vehicle with someone else driving and using media 80% of people feel unsafe when they are driving (Kettle). When riding as a passenger so many feel unsafe when the driver is using media and driving. This is ironic considering most of them are driving and using media themselves. I suppose that individuals trust themselves more than others when using media and driving. No matter the punishment, statistic prove accidents caused by media induced distracted driving continue to happen. What more can professionals do to illustrate the danger?
Media is becoming more popular and makes it harder to stay mentally and physically focused while driving.
Anything that can takes the driver’s attention off the road is considered a distraction. Drivers should be mentally and physically focused on the road, not only for their safety, but also the safety of other drivers and passengers. We have laws and regulations for a reason! It does not do society any good if we break the law, cause accidents, injuries and deaths. Who is above the law anyway? No one. Those who are proud and think they are above the law deserve to be punished. The law is there for a reason, while driving we need to stay mentally and physically
focused.