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October 8, 2008

The pros and cons of cell phones

By Doug Hermann The Tribune Star Wed Oct 08, 2008, 07:37 PM EDT

TERRE HAUTE — This column will, first, review why cell phones have a positive effect on our mind. Subsequently, we will consider the dangerous consequences of talking on a cell phone while driving and then the very dangerous consequences of text-messaging on a cell phone while driving,

Benefits of Cell Phones

Some of the benefits of cell phones are obvious. Because they lead us to talk much more with others, these phones have brought many of us closer to those in our family, to our friends, and to acquaintances.

It has even been proposed that mates interact better on cell phones than when face-to-face. A conversation on a cell phone can facilitate romance because it allows one to focus on what someone says without being distracted by his or her gestures, facial expressions, or appearance. Because of the romantic influence of cell phones, my wife and I have chosen to avoid talking to each directly, and instead to talk to each other on cell phones as much as possible



Dangers of Talking on Cell Phones while Driving

Talking on a cell phone while driving has been shown to be very risky. Research has shown that talking on a cell phone leads people to not see everything on the road. For example, without a cell phone, drivers see a child on a bike crossing the path of their car. With a cell phone, drivers often do not see child on the bike.

Similarly, without a cell phone, drivers routinely notice a traffic light change, even when not expecting it. With a cell phone, drivers often do not see the change in the light and continue into a busy intersection. Many accidents have happened when drivers were using their cell phone.

A lot of research has assessed how much drivers fail to recognize a situation as dangerous as a function of different kinds of distractions. This distractibility has been assessed when a driver talks with a passenger, when listening to the radio, when having drunk alcohol beyond the legal limit, and when using a cell phone.

Drivers, of course, detected dangerous situations best when driving without distractions. Alternatively, drivers failed to see dangerous situations most often when using a cell phone and when legally drunk.

Indeed, distractibility when using a cell phone was comparable to that when legally drunk. Driving was not risky when listening to the radio or talking with another passenger.

Some people believe wiring a cell phone into a car’s radio/CD/tape system eliminates the distractive influence of cell phones. They assume that cell phones are distracting only when people are holding a cell phone. Holding a cell phone leaves the driver with just one hand to turn the steering wheel. Nevertheless, research indicates that hands-free cell phones are about as dangerous as cell phones held in one hand.

The reason that any kind of cell phone make us more vulnerable to distractions is that conversations on a cell phone lead us to imagine the other person talking and to thinking about what one wants to say next. Talking with a passenger in the car does not require such imagination and, consequently, is not so distracting.

Because of the distracting effects of cell phones, some states have passed laws against talking on cell phones while driving.

No doubt one is taking their life and property at risk when a person talks on a cell phone while driving. If we want to keep Hoosiers safe, Indiana should pass a law with a substantial fine against driving while talking on a cell phone.

Text Messaging

A much more dangerous use of cell phones is to use them to transmit printed messages. This practice has come to be called “text-messaging.” In case you are not familiar with this practice, here is how it works: A person pays the cell phone company additional money for a text messaging account. When a person wants to send a text message, he or she puts the cell phone in a text-messaging mode. Then the sender person presses the buttons used for dialing to make up words. Like the phones in our homes, offices and public places, the numbers on cell phones have letters on each button number representing a number (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9).

Consequently, you can send a text message by typing the buttons with those numbers that correspond to a word. For example, you can write the name “Donna” by pressing the button 3 which stands for D, the button 6 which stands for O, the button 6 two more times because this button also represents the letter N, and then button 2 for A.

Here is why this practice is dangerous while driving. In order to drive and send a text message, the driver must key in a message with one hand while driving with the other hand. I noted above that talking on a cell phone consumes more attention than when just talking with someone present. Text-messaging requires considerably more concentration. Talking on a cell phone does not require a person to look at the cell phone except when keying in the number to be called. Text-messaging requires a person to continually look at the cell phone: to dial a number, to read messages one is sending, and to read messages as they are received.

Generally, text-messaging is a practice of the young. Because the practice is complicated, it requires a quick mind and fast fingers. Unfortunately, text messaging while driving is downright crazy! Many accidents have resulted from text messaging while driving, including accidents in Terre Haute. If we really want to keep our young Hauteans and Hoosiers safe, Indiana should pass laws as soon as possible to make text messaging while driving a serious offense, resulting in onerous punishments: such as a substantial fine, attendance in a driver education class about why text messaging is ludicrous, and possibly some jail time.

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