I Can Use my Phone but They Can’t

Putting a phone in an automobile seemed like such a great idea in the early 1990s but this was before cell phones took over and everyone had access to their friends wherever they were. Cell phones have taken over and some people seem to make calls only while they are driving because driving feels like a filler task.

The conflict though is most people argue that drivers should be off their cell phones yet the same people feel they should be allowed to use their phone while driving because they are good at it. No one is good at driving while using a mobile device. Some people claim they are better at using the phone while driving because they can multitask.

Driving is a multitask.

To drive motorists

• Hands: Steer
• Brain: Plans the Route
• Eyes: Watch the Road
• Feet: Brake and Accelerate

Motorists who use their phones while driving are merely diverting attention off of the driving task to the phone then back to driving again. A driver does not do both things at once, the human brain can only divert attention with restrictions and it cannot do two things at once, which can lead to errors.

A motorist has to decide how much attention they give driving versus how much they give to their phone. This is when drivers tend to start having difficulty staying in a single lane or following a certain route.

Many drivers admit to missing their exit because of a phone call. This happens because a driver’s mind is paying more attention to the phone call and fails to notice the road sign ahead.

The best solution to keep a cell phone from distracting you as a driver is to just put the phone on silent and hide it away. Even a ringtone can be a distraction because motorists shift their attention to finding a ringing phone rather than driving a vehicle. This attention shift can lead to a crash so it is better to keep the phone quiet to keep it from becoming a distraction.