Description
Mobile phone use while driving is common,
but widely considered dangerous. Due to the number of accidents that are
related to cell phone use while driving, some jurisdictions have made the use
of a cell phone while driving illegal. Others have enacted laws to ban handheld
mobile phone use, but allow use of a handsfree device. In some cases
restrictions are directed only to minors or those who are newly qualified
license holders.
The Société de l'assurance
automobile du Québec (SAAQ)
conducted a study in 2003. Questionnaires were sent to 175,000 drivers and
analysis was done on the 36,078 who responded. The questionnaire asked about
driving habits, risk exposure, collisions over the past 24 months, socio-demographic
information, and cell phone use. Questionnaires were supported with data from
cell phone companies and accident records held by police. The study found that
the overall relative
risk (RR) of
having an accident for cell phone users when compared to non-cell phone users
averaged 1.38 across all groups. When adjusted for kilometers driven per year
and other crash risk exposures, RR was 1.11 for men and 1.21 for women. They
also found that increased cell phone use correlated with an increase in RR.
When the same data were reanalyzed using a Bayesian approach, the calculated RR of
0.78 for those making less than 1 call/day and 2.27 for those with more than 7
calls/day was similar to cohort
analysis. When the data were reanalyzed using case-crossover
analysis, RR was calculated at a much higher 5.13.
A 2005 review by the Hawaiian legislature
entitled "Cell Phone Use and Motor Vehicle Collisions: A Review of the
Studies" contains an analysis of studies on cell phone/motor vehicle
accident causality.
A key finding was that: "No studies were found that directly address and
resolve the issue of whether a causal relation exists between cellular
telephone use while operating a motor vehicle and motor vehicle
collisions.
Meta-analysis by the Canadian Automobile Association and the University of Illinois found that response time while using
both hands-free and hand-held phones was approximately 0.5 standard deviations higher than normal driving (i.e., an
average driver, while talking on a cell phone, has response times of a driver
in roughly the 40th percentile). ,
A study conducted by the University of Illinois
using the theory of planned behavior identified two key determinants of
high-level mobile phone use. Those two factors, subjective norm (i.e.,
perceived social norms) and self-identity (i.e., the degree to which
individuals see mobile phones as a part of their self), might be promising
targets for the development of persuasive strategies and other interventions
aimed at reducing inappropriate and problematic use of mobile phones, such as
using mobile phones while driving.
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