Mobile Use

Forms of Distraction

Avoid Mobile While Using Road

Distraction from road is another common cause of road crashes. Distraction even for a fraction of a second can be dangerous. There are two categories of distractions for a vehicle driver, it may be external or internal distraction. External factors include unwanted movement on road such as animals and distracting messages such as hoardings etc. Internal form of distraction includes adjusting audio settings, AC settings, talking to co-passengers, eating, and drinking etc. Among these, use of mobile while driving is one of the major causes of distractions. These causes distract your ability to read danger signs and concentrate on road. Your ability to hear traffic signals and warning noises is impaired.

Today's smart phones have lot of options such as a driving profile, we can use them while we are driving a vehicle. Using a mobile phone for conversation and texting both are dangerous. Even using a headphone or Bluetooth could be as dangerous as holding a handset and talking while driving. Let's us understand the phenomenon by an example. Suppose you are driving car at a speed of 60 km/hr and for reading a text message or typing a reply if you continuously spend 5 seconds on your phone, your will blindly cover a distance approximately equals to 84 meters that may enhance the probability of ending up into a crash.

Your cell phone emits low-level electromagnetic radiation that is absorbed through your head and has been proved in scientific studies to affect brain activity, causing impaired concentration, disorientation and slower reaction time. Using a car cell phone speaker system enhances the electromagnetic field, as the cars steel frame acts as an extended antenna that in effect surrounds you in an electromagnetic field, thus enhancing the negative effect on both your brain and on the brains of other passengers in the car. Cell phone in an enclosed area such as a car is especially hazardous to babies and small children whose skulls are not yet fully developed and whose brains are especially vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation.

It is essential to teach these rules to all the young drivers. Having a cell phone available in case of a road emergency is a good idea, but it is not preferred to answer the call while you're driving (that's what the message answering feature is for!) and don't make calls until you have safely parked your vehicle. If a call is urgent to answer then take a while, find a safe place, slow down your vehicle carefully, stop the vehicle at a safer place and then speak to the person over phone.