Four out of five college student drivers use their cell phones while driving despite being aware of the risks. Researchers from King's College point out the consequences of their actions.
Many previous studies have emphasized how dangerous it is to use a cell phone while driving. In spite of this, a new survey found that 4 out of 5 college student drivers continue to use their cell phones while driving, either to make calls or for texting. Researchers of the study found that men are more likely than women to use cell phones while driving as they consider themselves better drivers and assume they are at a lower risk of facing the consequences of this action.
But are they? Garold Lantz and Sandra Loeb of the McGowan School of Business, at King's College conducted a study and found that "texting impulsiveness" is associated with people who text frequently and those who text while driving. They also listed out a few risk factors.
Firstly, researchers found that texting while driving is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. In fact, some previous studies showed that texting slows the brain's response time far more than when drunk. Researchers also found that only 2.5 percent of people are capable of effectively multitasking. The brain allows the person to focus on only one task at a time. Hence, those who can competently conduct two tasks at a time actually have mastered the art of switching between tasks seamlessly.
"There seems to be a mentality that use of electronic devices is dangerous for everyone but 'me'," the team said.
Using cell phones while driving has been banned in many countries including UK. The US government has introduced a public awareness campaign that draws inspiration from the "distraction.gov" web site, which aims at discouraging texting while driving.
"If further research conclusively demonstrates that texting while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk this study suggests that a promotional campaign should be undertaken to assure that this point is clearly understood," the team suggested.
