Cell Phone Safety
The use of cellular phones has spread like wild fire in the last ten
years. It
has become a part of everyday life for many American citizens, and
a good number
of people depend on them to carry out daily operations.
Unfortunately, many of
these daily operations occur while the individual is
driving. As a result, many
accidents have taken place in the last ten years
due to the use of cellular
phones while on the road. This leads me to believe
that if people can’t
concentrate on the road while talking on a cell phone
they shouldn’t talk at
all while driving. Rather than restricting access, the
goal should be to provide
in-vehicle information systems and safer means to
using your cellular phone
while driving. I understand that restricting cell
phone usage while driving all
together isn’t the best means to solving the
problem. Many good aspects come
from cellular use in the car. For example,
accidents get reported to 911
rapidly, traffic updates occur more often
because citizens call and report back
ups, and drivers who need to be taken
off the road because of being intoxicated
or just plain reckless will be
located quicker and easier. I do, however,
believe that more safety
precautions need to be taken for individuals who will
be talking on their
phones while driving. Phones are being created by Erricson,
Motorolla,
and Nokia today in which offer a hands-free cell phone so that you
can keep
both hands on the wheel while driving and talking. Some of these come
in the
form of headsets and give the user a voice activated sequence, which
allows
you to talk into the speaker, and the number will instantly be
dialed.
All ready this has eliminated the chance of your hands being off
the wheel and
depleted the act of dialing the phone. Both which allow you to
keep your hands
on the wheel and eyes on the road. One of the most recent
advancements in
cellular technology comes from [Brightcell Technologies]. It
is called the
Triflex Hands-free phone kit. The Triflex turns your cell
phone into a
speakerphone. It works by plugging in a DC adapter to your car’s
cigarette
lighter or power outlet. You place your phone in the cradle of the
kit and a
special connector in the base recharges your unit, saving battery
power and
converting your conversations into speakerphone mode. Because of
inadequate
reporting, there is insufficient data to show the magnitude of
safety problems
relating to the use of cell phones. This is because only two
states have a
section on accident reports dedicated to weather or not a cell
phone was present
in the car at the time of the accident. Minnesota and
Oklahoma are the two
states in which have received decent records on the
safety related problems with
cell phone use while driving. In just one year
the number of accidents relating
to cell phone use increased in Oklahoma by
26.5 %. Driver inattention is the
most frequently identified factor among
cellular telephone users. The next most
frequently noted conditions are
failure to yield and following too close. Based
on these facts alone, it is
easy to see that cellular phones and driving don’t
mix to well. Until we have
more safety features given to us that go along with
cell phones, we shouldn’t
mix the two. In reading the website "An
investigation of the Safety
Implications of Wireless Communications in
Vehicles", I learned that the
safety means necessary in achieving safe driving
while talking on the phone
could be accomplished through the application of good
engineering and human
factors design practice. The recommendations made were as
follows: Improving
data collection and reporting, improving consumer education,
initiating a
broad range of research to better define and understand the
problem,
addressing issues associated with use of cellular phones from vehicles
to
access emergency services, encouraging enforcement of existing state laws
to
address inattentive driving behavior, and lastly, using the National
Advanced
Driving Simulator (NADS) and instrumented vehicles to study
optimal
driver/vehicle interfaces. If the majority of these recommendations
were made,
driving while using your wireless technology would be much easier
and safer.
Many accidents could be spared if only the proper safety
precautions would be
made. In conclusion, because of the rapid growth and
demand for cell phones many
more accidents are occurring daily. Cell phone
use in cars serve some good
purposes too and have become a part of life to
some individuals, so it’s
simple to see that we can’t just ban them from cars
all together. But it
doesn’t mean that we can’t take greater steps in the
advancement of safety
features for wireless services in those same
individual’s cars. If all of the
recommendations made earlier took place,
then people could definitely talk on
their phone while driving and be
completely safe from their previous flaws in
inattentiveness.