Tova Rosenbloom Journal of Safety Research 37 (2006) 207 – 212 Driving performance while using cell phones: An observational study 學生. 莊靖玟

Company Logo Introduction  Through spontaneous driving observations, this study sought to examine the impact of using a hands-free cell phone while driving on speed and safe gap keeping behaviors.  The study also examined the association between the measure of disturbance created by using a cell phone and the driver’s awareness of the disturbance.

Company Logo Reference  While the advantages of having the cell phone on board are obvious, some epidemiological evidence suggests that its use while driving may be associated with an increased risk for accidents and injury through dangerous distraction of driver’s attention. (Laberge-Nadeau et al., 2003; Redelmeier & Tibshirani,1997; Redelmeier & Tibshirani, 2001; Stevens & Minton, 2001; Violanti, 1997, 1998; Violanti & Marshall, 1996)

Company Logo Reference  In line with the notion of inherent limited capacity of human attention (Kahneman, 1973).  Voice communication that requires attention (e.g., verbal intelligence test) impedes brake reaction time (Alm &Nilsson, 1995; Consiglio, Driscoll, Witte, & Berg, 2003), impairs driving decision making (Cooper et al., 2003),and disrupts other driving indices (McKnight & McKnight,1993).

Company Logo Reference  These studies raise the possibility that the drivers might adopt compensation strategies to cope with the reduction of cognitive resources due to talking on the cell phone while driving. (Haigney et al., 2000; Strayer et al., 2003)

Company Logo Reference  They revealed that though hands-free cell phones impaired some aspects of driving (e.g., reaction to headway changes), the extent of the impairment is less than that found with hand- held phones. ( Brookhuis, deVries, and de Waard 1991)  The impaired detection and reaction to the changes in speed of the leading vehicle, suggest that using a hands-free cell phone equipped with a voice controlled interface while driving also constitutes a safety hazard. (Lamble, Kauranen, Laakso, & Summala, 1999)

Company Logo Method  Twenty-three male adults were observed while driving for an hour and a half each; drivers were unaware of being observed.  During the session, each of the participants received a phone call, initiated by an associate of the observer.

Company Logo Method  The observation sheet was planned by the researchers and referred to the following driving parameters: (a) speed (b) safe gap keeping from the vehicle ahead.

Company Logo Method  The experiment was divided into two periods during which the experimental parameters were monitored: ＊ 10 minutes during conversation on a cell phone. ＊ 10 minutes of non-conversation on a hands-free cell phone.

Company Logo Method  After the experiment, the driver was questioned concerning the extent to which his/her driving was disturbed by the cell phone conversation.

Company Logo Results

Company Logo Results

Company Logo Results

Company Logo Results  T-test for matched samples revealed that the gaps between the drivers’ cars and those in front of them diminished when drivers were engaged in the cell phone conversations.  Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that drivers that had short conversations did not change their speed, while drivers who were engaged in long (over 16 minutes) conversations drove faster.

Company Logo Discussion  This research aimed at achieving the following goals: (a) to investigate the phenomenon of talking on a cell phone while driving on a sample of Israeli drivers; (b) to provide a paradigm for investigating this phenomenon in its natural setting with drivers being unaware of their participation in the study;

Company Logo Discussion (c) studying the relationship between impairments in the driver’s performances related to the cell phone usage and his/her awareness of these impairments.

Company Logo Discussion  No effect of drivers’ awareness toward cell phone-related disturbance on actual driving behavior monitored in the present study was found.  The using a cell-phone while driving may impede driving performance, are consistent with previous studies. (Alm & Nilsson, 1994; Haigney et al., 2000; Haigney & Westerman, 2001; McKnight & McKnight, 1993; Strayer & Johnston, 2001).