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Christian Living

Family Matters

Driving While “Cell Phone Drunk”


I now live in a fairly small town and have noticed how many people drive and talk on their cell phones. The other day the van in front of me was swerving, slowing down and speeding up. I tried to pass, but the driver kept changing his speed so I couldn’t get by him.

Finally, with a break in traffic I was able to pass. When I did, I saw a man who looked to be in his 50s, texting on his phone! His eyes didn’t look up once as he appeared to be having some type of conversation. He never saw me pass him. It was scary.

Without fail, when someone is driving erratically, too slow in a lane or crossing over the mid line, I look, and yes, the person is talking on the phone.

Researchers tell us that talking on the phone while driving is like driving drunk. Your brain cannot pay attention to the distraction of the phone. It has to switch tasks back and forth to the driving and the talking.  When it does, it loses concentration.

Here’s what we know happens when you “drive drunk” on phone call talking:
1) You follow cars in a more wild fashion.
2) You are a half second slower at hitting your brakes when you need to emergency stop.
3) It takes longer to return to normal speed after an emergency.
4) Your risk for an accident increases.
5) You miss more than 50 percent of the visual cues of driving when on a cell phone.

In fact, all the task switching involved with driving and doing anything puts you more at risk. Just reaching for an object makes you nine times more at risk for a crash.

Driving while texting is not just a teen issue. People of all ages are engaging in this dangerous activity. Parents need to lead the way by modeling. Whatever it is that is drawing you to that phone can wait until you are not driving!

So next time you decide to put on your mascara, eat that sloppy burger or even check out other drivers, know you are increasing your risk for an accident--and think what you are modeling for your children.

Your brain simply cannot pay attention to more than one thing at a time. Multitasking is a dangerous myth when it comes to cell phone usage and driving.
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