I thought they had found out that talking on a cell phone was worse than being drunk and driving.
> -----Original Message----- > From: Larry C. Lyons [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: 05 June 2003 14:35 > To: CF-Community > Subject: RE: Feds: Hang up and drive > > > Without having to rehash this issue again, research has shown very > conclusively that cellphone use, regardless of whether it is > being held or > a hands free version, has a very negative impact on driving. The same > impact is not shown to be the case with makeup etc. The problem > is that we > deploy our limited attentional resources differentially - we give > far more > attention to a cell phone conversation than to changing the station or > listening to music. > > Here's the link to the previous postings: > > http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=results&opt > ionlist=0&forumid=5&Search=cellphone&Author=&After=&Before=&maxrow > s=100#15869 > > and to the Washington Post article: > http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&co > ntentId=A14482-2001Nov25¬Found=true > > In a nutshell researchers found that it doesn't matter whether you are > using a hands-free cellphone or not. If you are talking on a cell phone, > your reaction time to outside events is very poor. The > researchers did not > find similar results when the subjects were talking with someone else (as > if the other was a passenger for instance) or listening to music. > > From what I read in the original article, the tracking task is a > relatively easy task, no where near as complex as driving a car. If > these researchers found significant decreases in performance > (time on task > and reacting to the target signal) in something this simple, then > driving a > car and talking on a cell phone is considerably more dangerous. > > Here's the summary from the American Psychological Society (source URL > after article). > > -- > Driven to Distraction > Study Shows Hands-free Cell Phone Use While Driving No Safer Than > Hand-held Use > > Legislation across the United States seeks to restrict the use of > hand-held > cellular phone use by drivers. The notion is that by taking the phone out > of the driver's hand and mandating the use of a hands-free device, fewer > accidents will result. > > Results of a study, published in the American Psychological > Society journal > Psychological Science, contradict that way of thinking, saying it > isn't the > phone that is problematic, but the actual conversation that > impairs drivers. > > > Researchers David L. Strayer and William A Johnston of the University of > Utah found that cellular phone use, either with hand-held or hands-free > phones, disrupts performance by diverting attention to an engaging > cognitive context other than the one immediately associated with driving. > > "Our data imply that legislative initiatives that restrict hand-held > devices but permit hands-free devices are not likely to reduce > interference > from the phone conversation, because the interference is, in this > case, due > to the central attentional processes," the authors wrote. > > In the study, participants performed a tracking task using a joystick to > maneuver a cursor on a computer display to keep it closely aligned to a > moving target. At unpredicted intervals, the target flashed red or green > and participants were instructed to press a "brake button" located at the > top of the joystick as rapidly as possible when they detected a red light. > > The participants were randomly assigned to three task groups: radio > control, hand-held phone, and hands-free phone. After becoming acquainted > with the pursuit-tracking task, participants engaged in > conversation with a > confederate (or listened to a radio station of their choosing) while > conducting the tracking task. > > The results of the study show that participants engaged in cell-phone > conversations missed twice as many simulated traffic signals as when they > were not talking on the cell phone and took longer to react to > the signals > that they did detect. These results were the same for hand-held > and hands-free > > "These data are consistent with an attention-based interpretation > in which > the disruptive effects of cell-phone conversations on driving are due > primarily to the diversion of attention from driving to the phone > conversation itself," Strayer and Johnston wrote. > > http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/pr011026.html > > > At 01:21 AM 6/5/2003 -0800, Mike Randolph wrote: > >Hello Larry, > > > >We'd now all be safe if they invent hand's free makeup and > hand's free turn > >signals for Volvo/Mac users. > > > >Duckin Muffins > >Mike > > > >At 10:12 AM 6/5/2003 +0100, you wrote: > > >It's now illegal over here to drive while talking on a > mobile/cell phone > > > > > >Hands free kits are acceptable, but not driving one handed on the phone > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Larry C. Lyons [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 10:56 PM > > > > To: CF-Community > > > > Subject: Feds: Hang up and drive > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/06/04/crash.phones.reut/index.html > > > > > > > > Wednesday, June 4, 2003 Posted: 10:09 AM EDT (1409 GMT) > > > > U.S. urges mobile phone curbs for young drivers > > > > > > > > WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Young, inexperienced drivers should not be > > > > allowed to use cell phones when they get behind the wheel, U.S. > > > > traffic safety officials said on Tuesday after reviewing a fatal > > > > crash involving a 20-year-old who was on a mobile phone as she lost > > > > control of her sport utility vehicle. > > > > -- > > > > > > > > Larry C. Lyons > > > > > > > > ======================================================== > > > > Life is Complex. It has both real and imaginary parts. > > > > ======================================================== > > > > Chaos, Panic and Disorder. My work here is done. > > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Signup for the Fusion Authority news alert and keep up with the latest news in ColdFusion and related topics. http://www.fusionauthority.com/signup.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
