Motor Authority - blog Tag: texting

We all know someone who's fused to their cell phone, texting, talking, twittering and incessantly updating their calendars - even when behind the wheel. The problem is rampant among teens, and a new study confirms the obvious: it's dangerous to text behind the wheel.

It's equally dangerous to use an MP3 player. Both texting and using MP3 players caused increased rates of speed changes - typically slowing down - and 'lane position deviation'. The study, performed by Eastern Virginia Medical School, was presented to the Pediatric Academic Societies this past weekend.

The study is an informed look at a problem that is just now coming to the... We all know someone who's fused to their cell phone, texting, talking, twittering and incessantly updating their calendars - even when behind the wheel. The problem is rampant among teens, and a new study confirms the obvious: it's dangerous to text behind the wheel. It's equally dangerous to use an MP3 player. Both texting and using MP3 players caused increased rates of speed changes - typically slowing down - and 'lane position deviation'. The study, performed by Eastern Virginia Medical School, was presented to the Pediatric Academic Societies this past weekend. The study is an informed look at a problem that is just now coming to the attention of legislators around the country. New laws to restrict the activity are being contemplated in many states, and for good reason. Of the 21 subjects in the study, all were between 16 and 18 years of age, and all had at least six months driving experience. All subjects were also screened for attention disorders or unsafe driving histories, so that only the attentive, safer drivers remained. The result: several of the students struck and killed 'virtual' pedestrians in the computerized simulation. "What this study demonstrates is that not only does your speed go up and down, you're swinging wide left and right," said Donald Lewis, M.D., vice president of academic affairs at CHKD and chairman of the EVMS Department of Pediatrics. And when texting, "You're a hazardous driver, to yourself and everybody else." This study backs up another performed last September which showed texting while driving was more dangerous than being under the influence of either alcohol or cannabis. If you're a parent or just keen on self-regulating, you can take matters into your own hands, however. A service from DriveAssist keeps drivers from texting or talking behind the wheel by detecting the phone's movement and locking out certain features. For more on that technology, check out our original story here. Read More

Mobile communications devices are truly coming into their own with the BlackBerry, iPhone, Sidekick and more making it easier than ever to stay connected via the Internet, voice and text. But all that connectivity can be a major distraction behind the wheel, and so Aegis Mobility has developed a service that helps keep drivers focused on the road ahead by intercepting calls and messages when subscriber is driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving causes 80 percent of all accidents. Just a few weeks ago, a study was released claiming texting while driving to be more dangerous than alcohol or... Mobile communications devices are truly coming into their own with the BlackBerry, iPhone, Sidekick and more making it easier than ever to stay connected via the Internet, voice and text. But all that connectivity can be a major distraction behind the wheel, and so Aegis Mobility has developed a service that helps keep drivers focused on the road ahead by intercepting calls and messages when subscriber is driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving causes 80 percent of all accidents. Just a few weeks ago, a study was released claiming texting while driving to be more dangerous than alcohol or cannabis. “Research has confirmed that the distraction associated with cell phone use is much more dangerous than originally suspected,” said Aegis Mobility spokesperson David Teater. “This problem has grown out of the rapid adoption of mobile technology and our need to stay connected. Aegis Mobility has created the first effective technology solution for this issue.” DriveAssist works by detecting the movement of the phone, so it activates itself transparently. Once active, the DriveAssist software intercepts calls, rather than merely refusing them, and keeps a log of who called while the phone owner was driving. Text messages are delayed, then delivered once the phone stops moving at vehicular speeds. DriveAssist can also provide the vehicle's location to callers under certain conditions. For passengers or while riding trains, buses, or other mass transit, there is an override function. This does open up potential for abuse of the override system, but it's a necessary function where commuters might use more than one mode of transport - common in larger cities. To help deter such abuse of the override system, the Aegis Mobility ContextEngine records the circumstances (i.e. location and date) of the override for later use if necessary. Emergency calls are always allowed, with no override necessary. The program will be software-based and offered through wireless service providers beginning next year. So far, no wireless carriers have adopted the service, but it is being backed by auto insurance company Nationwide. “There are 42,000 traffic fatalities each year in the U.S. and traffic accidents have long been the number one cause of death for teens,” said Teater. “This is exciting technology that will help people drive more responsibly.” Read More

While driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs has long been demonized by safety groups and the government, it turns out a much more dangerous vice is lurking on our roads - text messaging.

Research carried out by the UK's Transport Research Laboratory confirms what common sense tells us - that driving while texting is dangerous. Test subjects between the ages of 17-24 had a 35% slower reaction time when text messaging than when paying full attention. Compared to this, alcohol is almost 3 times less dangerous, causing drivers' reactions to slow by just 12% when they were at the legal alcohol limit. Cannabis users experienced a 21%... While driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs has long been demonized by safety groups and the government, it turns out a much more dangerous vice is lurking on our roads - text messaging. Research carried out by the UK's Transport Research Laboratory confirms what common sense tells us - that driving while texting is dangerous. Test subjects between the ages of 17-24 had a 35% slower reaction time when text messaging than when paying full attention. Compared to this, alcohol is almost 3 times less dangerous, causing drivers' reactions to slow by just 12% when they were at the legal alcohol limit. Cannabis users experienced a 21% drop in reaction times, also significantly less than text messaging. The tests were conducted on a driving simulator and found that text messaging severely hampered a number of driving skills on top of reaction time. Steering control while text messaging is 91% worse, compared to 35% when the test subjects were affected by cannabis. On top of this, texters had trouble maintaining proper distances from cars ahead and also found it difficult to keep in their own lanes. One of the researchers attributed the surprising results to the fact that alcohol and drug users were focusing their full - albeit impaired - attention on the act of driving, while texters were "distracted by taking their hand off the wheel to use their phone, by trying to read small text on the phone display, and by thinking about how to write their message." While in some jurisdictions police are targeting those using their mobile phones while driving, it is often difficult to see motorists that are texting as the phone is rarely held high above the steering wheel. This makes it difficult for police to enforce mobile phone laws and prevent accidents due to texting. Text messaging while driving is especially prevalent among young drivers, with a recent poll of 3,000 drivers aged 18-24 revealing that amost half read or send text messages while driving. Read More