Why using your phone while driving is dangerous
Reduces attention. It takes a lot of brain work to refocus your attention from the road to your phone. For older or tired drivers, changing focus can result in an accident. This was found out by experts from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents of England (RoSPA).
Slows down the reaction. The traffic police say that using a phone slows down the reaction by 3 seconds. During this time the car travels almost 50 meters. At this distance, the driver can encounter any obstacle: from a pedestrian to a multi-ton truck.
Increases mortality. In Japan, 20% fewer people died on the roads after they passed a law banning the use of phones while driving.
The number of victims also fell - by 53.3%. This is data from the same RoSPA study.
What are the dangers of talking on a smartphone while driving?
It is quite obvious that the main factor that really influences the increase in accidents when using cell phones is the distraction of attention from monitoring the traffic situation.
In fact, many studies have been and are being conducted in different countries devoted to the study of this problem. Some statistics look a little abstract, others speak for themselves. It is estimated that just an hour of talking while driving over the course of a month (that's about two minutes every day) increases the likelihood of getting into an accident five times. This is a very significant, simply terrifying indicator.
Things are even worse with sending SMS, regardless of the type of messenger used, be it Skype, Telegram, ICQ or a popular social network. Drivers who study the contents of the screen of their mobile gadget thereby significantly (by 30-80%) reduce the ability to visually scan the road section in front of the car, which often becomes the reason for leaving the occupied lane with all the ensuing consequences.
In addition to occasionally taking your eyes off the road and looking at your phone, another danger is driving with one hand. This is especially dangerous in cars equipped with a manual transmission, since drivers are forced to change gears with the same hand that rests on the steering wheel. It is clear that in the event of emergency situations, the driver simply will not have time to perform the maneuver - you will not be able to actively rotate the steering wheel with one hand, even if you have circus skills.
Finally, there is a third reason why talking on the phone while driving is deadly. The fact is that the conversation itself can be so important that it will distract your attention from everything that is happening on the road. Experienced drivers claim that they drive the car while relaxed, assessing the road situation with a “sixth sense.” In fact, this is not entirely true - concentration is present, even if it seems to the driver that he is calm and relaxed. This is called "cognitive attention." But the problem is that for most drivers, assessing a rapidly changing traffic situation requires constant and intense work of the brain, which analyzes the situation in real time. And if part of your attention is distracted by a conversation, the correct processing of visual information by the brain is disrupted. And this can also cause emergency situations with very serious consequences.
In order not to be unfounded, we present the results of research carried out by Dr. Marcel Just, representing Carnegie Mallon University. He used a car simulator in which participants were asked to drive along a complex route with a large number of turns and intersections. The second part of the study involved completing a dual task: driving the same route and responding to statements simulating a telephone conversation. The brain activity of the “experimental subjects” was monitored using an MRI scanner. As one would expect, the performance of the second test task turned out to be much worse compared to the control task - the percentage of leaving the occupied lane was significant.
Tomography data helped scientists interpret this phenomenon. It turned out that in the control race the greatest activity was recorded in the parietal region of the brain, which is responsible for the spatial processing of visual signals coming from the eyes. When performing the second, more complex task, the red areas partially shifted to the temporal areas, which are responsible for processing sound signals. Of course, by reducing the activity of the crown region. This proves that the average citizen's brain capacity is not limitless, and the distraction of a telephone conversation directly affects the ability to process visual information, which is critical for activities such as driving a car.
Many similar studies prove that the main danger of using mobile gadgets while driving is a decrease in concentration due to distraction from the conversation. This, by the way, is evidence that using a headset does not solve all problems - yes, the hand is freed, but the conversation itself remains the factor that can influence the adoption of important decisions on how to control the machine. Unfortunately, this fact is not obvious, and therefore in most countries where there is a ban on using phones with your hands, conversations using a headset are allowed.
But something is better than nothing at all. We can only hope that aggressive social advertising will have an effect, and those drivers who are inclined to be disciplined behind the wheel will at least start using the headset. Of course, this is better than holding your cell phone in one hand and adjusting it with the other from time to time. But the headset gives a false sense of security, especially in relation to legal compliance.
Adherents of headset telephone conversations claim that they are as dangerous as conversations with passengers. This statement is also far from the truth. The fact is that passengers, while maintaining a conversation with the driver, also have the opportunity to observe the road situation. According to observations, they do this consciously, even if they were not watching the road before starting the conversation. And in the case of driving through potentially dangerous areas (overtaking, making a left turn, passing through an intersection), the conversation is usually interrupted until the driver completes the maneuver.
The remote interlocutor is not aware of what is happening in front of the car, continuing the conversation even at moments that require increased concentration of attention on the part of the driver. Such dispersal of attention at the most inopportune moments is very dangerous and can cause an accident.
How to use a mobile phone while driving
Wired headset. These are ordinary wired headphones with a microphone. The headphone plug is inserted into the audio jack of the phone, and you can talk. The phone settings allow you to make an “auto answer” - when the phone rings, after 3 or 5 seconds the device itself “answers” the call. You don't need to press anything.
Hands-free mode. If you don’t have a headset at hand, and you don’t want to let go of the steering wheel to make a call, you can turn on the speakerphone and put the phone on the dashboard of the car. To prevent the phone from sliding on the panel or falling during maneuvers, drivers place a rubber mat on the panel.
Wireless headset. The interlocutor’s voice is transmitted via Bluetooth - this is a digital communication channel, like Wi-Fi, but it works no further than 10 meters. It happens that the Bluetooth versions of the phone and the headset are different - then the connection quality may be poor. Before purchasing, check with your consultant about the Bluetooth version on the headset and compare it with the version on your phone.
Multimedia car system with built-in Bluetooth. In almost all modern cars you can connect your phone to the multimedia system. To do this, turn on Bluetooth on your phone - the device will show nearby devices that also have activated communication through this channel. Select the desired item from the list - often this is the name of the make or model of the car.
This headset often comes bundled with smartphones. Source: ozon.ru
A Bluetooth headset transmits the voice of the interlocutor wirelessly. Both hands are on the steering wheel. Source: ozon.ru
An example of connecting to the Lada Vesta system
When the phone rings, just press the green answer button. The phone can be placed anywhere in the cabin
How traffic police officers record an offense
Photo and video recording of the violation. If the inspector managed to film the driver talking on the phone while driving, this will serve as evidence of the violation.
Testimony of witnesses. If the driver was involved in an accident and before the collision, witnesses noticed him talking on the phone, this may become an aggravating circumstance. The driver’s guilt will be proven, and he will pay the victims for property and physical harm.
Through the cell phone company. Police officers can request details of conversations from the mobile operator. This is a list of calls for a certain period, for example, per day. Police officers use this measure if they need to prove the driver’s guilt in court. Usually, serious violations are dealt with in court: drunk driving or accidents with fatalities.
Alexander Torvard, auto lawyer These fines are issued extremely rarely - only when there is a “penalty campaign”. Inspectors fine under the article for using a mobile phone while driving almost always when there is a “regulation” for such a fine. For example, 5,000 fines by the end of the year. Similarly, pedestrians are fined for jaywalking only if the plan must be followed.
Remember
- The fine for using a phone while driving a car is 1,500 rubles.
- To avoid getting a fine, use a headset or car multimedia system so that both hands are on the steering wheel.
- In order not to be distracted from the road, it is better to stop and continue the conversation after that.
- A traffic police officer can issue a fine based on photo or video materials, witness testimony, or using details of the driver’s calls.
- Such fines are rarely issued, but they are possible if the traffic police needs to fulfill the plan.
All articles by the author: Evgeniy Lesnov
What can a fine be issued for?
Any actions with the phone in which the driver is holding the device in his hands are considered a violation. This equally includes:
- mobile phone conversations;
- writing SMS or messages in instant messengers;
- games;
- watching videos;
- searching for information on the Internet.
Any of these actions distracts the driver from the road and can cause an accident. It is important to understand that the ban on using a telephone while traveling is not a whim of the inspector, but a basic safety requirement.
The rule is stated in the traffic rules (clause 2.7):
The punishment for its violation is stipulated in the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (Article 12.36.1):
Despite the possibility of freely interpreting the wording of the law, in case of violation the driver will be issued a fine of 1,500 rubles. If you pay within 20 days after completing the protocol, you can get a 50% discount.
