''The increasing stress involved in motoring nowadays makes the psychological efficiency of the driver a more important factor than the mechanical efficiency of the vehicle he drives'' (Parry, 1968).
....surely the 'psyche' runs the show...Welcome to the ''Psyche Drives''...

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Mobile can sometimes render us Immobile

Pairing mobility with mobile can have adverse consequences. Its pretty easy to spot out people speaking on their mobiles while driving. What they do not understand is that in a bid to multi-task and save time, they put their lives and of others on stake. This video I came across on YouTube gives a fair enough idea of what this avoidable Human Error can lead to. Watch it, if you have a strong heart.


Various countries around the globe have made laws that ban usage of mobile phones completely including texting. The usage of cell phones while driving not only distracts the driver from the activity he/she is performing but also undermines their reaction time due to attention lapses. Several research studies have been done on this issue through self-report questionnaires and also on simulators. It has been discovered that there is a difference in indulging in a conversation with the in-car passenger and those on a cell phone. While the former can alert the driver on an approaching danger, there is no such possibility with the latter. An aspect of conversation suppression has also been observed that implies slow rate of conversation on gauging any threat on roads while the driver and the co-passenger are more likely to follow this rule, its quite impossible for the remote passenger on cellphone. The content of the conversation also matters, therefore the more complex and involving the issue, the more cognitive workload and the more probability of error.

While the latest technology ensuring built-in devices that helps the driver to converse hands-free, research  has proved that it does not help much. The probability of being engaged in lapses, errors and accidents is as high as with the hand-held devices.
Another research study quoted that drivers on cell phones are as bad as drunk drivers. They can be compared to the drunk drivers those who are having blood alcohol level at 0.08%
To conclude, Mobile usage behind the steering wheel can render us immobile, so as a responsible citizen and road user we should send this message across, create as much awareness as possible so that no life is compromised.


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