Safe Driving Distractions

Safe Driving Limiting Distractions

This research was carried out as partial fulfillment towards the Research Methods course at: Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to:

Safe Driving Limiting Distractions The following study is on the safety of driving and the distractions that interfere with driving safety. There are some certain things that can be done to help limit distractions when driving. Cell phones are one of the highest known distractions that tend to cause car accidents. Technologies that are built in to cars today can be the distractions that can affect the way we drive. What are these distractions and what can be done to limit distractions and promote safe driving?
Bayer, Joseph B, Campbell, Scott W.
(November 2012). Texting while driving on automatic: Considering the frequency-independent side of habit, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 28, Issue 6, Pages 2083-2090, ISSN 0747-5632, 10.1016/j.chb.2012.06.012. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212001628 The effects of texting while driving can impact the safety of driving but is the frequency-independent components of habit, or automaticity (Campbell, and Bayer 2012). They have experimented with a survey of students to validate Self-Report Habit Index; this study shows that people use their cell phones in the car on habit and tend to be unaware, that it is simply automatic texting when driving. It has become a habit for people to just answer a text or look at their phones when it rings.
Westlake, Elizabeth Jane, and Boyle, Linda Ng. (November 2012). Perceptions of driver
Distraction among teenage drivers, Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Volume 15, Issue 6, Pages 644-653, ISSN 1369-8478, 10.1016/j.trf.2012.06.004. Retrieved from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847812000654 Teenagers were surveyed to assess their driving opinions and perceptions of driver distraction by Westlake, and Boyle. (2012) Westlake and Boyle did a cluster analysis based on the driver’s engagement in distracting activities. There are different distractions that can take place while driving and this touches base on what some of these distractions are. This article also shows the frequent and moderate engagers in distractions had a more likely effect in getting into a car wreck. It shows that these distractions affect a person’s ability to drive safely.
Horrey, W. J., Wickens, C. D., & Consalus, K. P. (2006). Modeling drivers' visual attention allocation while interacting with in-vehicle technologies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 12(2), 67-78. doi: 10.1037/1076-898X.12.2.67 Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/614449512/139665DA6CC1F5AE3E4/6?accountid=34899 Horrey, W.
J., Wickens, C. D., & Consalus, K. P. (2006) conducted experiments to show that in-vehicle tasks impact the drivers’ performance and visual scanning, which both affect safe driving. This article is a great source for information on how there are inside and outside distractions that can take place while driving and how the driver may be affected by these distractions. Vision is very important when driving and having both eyes on the road help us scan the road and see everything that is going on. A distraction in the car or out of the car may not take all of our attention but it does stop the ability to scan the road. This is something that needs to be done to be able to drive
safely.
Susman, J. (January 2007). Driven to distraction. Journal of Family Practice. p. 3.
Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=331e08b4-6a51-4964-91d4-e3db3cfa3328%40sessionmgr15&vid=2&hid=7
Susman, J. (2007) makes the point that drinking and driving has been associated with using a cell phone while driving is just as dangerous, but more likely to happen. Everyone knows that drinking and driving is unsafe and illegal, but not many think twice about answering a phone call while driving. There are laws that are being started to stop the use of cell phones while driving, which are needed in order for people to realize that cell phones are a big distraction for drivers no matter age, or gender. Distractions while driving can lead to property damage accidents or worse death.
Anonymous. (2012). UPS road code program aims to reduce teen driver distraction. Professional Safety, 57(6), 22-22. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1020127346?accountid=34899
The importance of knowing how to drive safe is the first step in being able to be a safe driver. Knowledge is a very powerful thing and informing people can be a step to lowering the number of accidents on the streets. UPS foundation has created a national program to teach safe driving techniques to teenagers (Anonymous 2012). This program teaches teens in four sessions of classroom instruction and also has hands on experience in a virtual driving simulator that focuses on different safety principles. This is a great way to spread the knowledge of how to be a safe driver and how to not let distractions happen. As you can see, cell phones are a big distraction and can cause unsafe driving conditions which could cause accidents. Distractions can make our vision and hearing impaired due to simply not concentrating on driving alone. Talking on a cell phone has been compared to driving intoxicated. Knowledge of how to drive safe and what to do to be a safe driver, are great ways to let the number of car accidents drop, by learning some simple actions that can make a huge difference. There are some things that can be done before even starting your car that can limit the distractions.