Abstract
It has been estimated that one in every six fatal vehicle collisions in the year 2008 was caused by driver interruption while driving (Wilson & Stimpson, 2010, p. 2213). Though the causes of the distraction vary, the use of cell phones and text messaging has been ranked as the major factor. Due to this increase in fatal accidents, an increasingly large number of states have been implementing bans on the use of mobile phones while driving (McCartt, Hellinga & Braitman, 2006, p. 89). In their research on the trends of fatalities that are resulted from distracted driving in the United States, Wilson and Stimpson examined whether the increased mobile phone use and texting could be the major cause of these fatal crashes. This paper gives a summary of their work.
Keywords: accidents, driving, cell phone
Hypothesis Statement
Is the use of cell phones and texting while driving a major reason for the increased distracted driving fatalities?
McCartt A. T., Hellinga L. A., & Bratiman K. A. (2006). Cell phones and driving: review of research. Traffic Injuries Prevention. 7(2), 89-106.
In this study, the researchers, McCartt, Bratiman, and Hellinga, conducted their research on drivers’ use of mobile phones, mainly to identify the trend of use and the state of knowledge of the drivers about the safety consequences of their use. They carried out their research through reviews of nearly one hundred and twenty-five studies that were related to their research question. Their major findings were that driver crash risk remains high to the extent the drivers continue to use their cell phones.
As an experienced researchers, the authors understood the limitations presented the impact it will have on the government, and that is why they reflected these issues in their study.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic safety facts research note: Driver electronic device use in 2008. Web.
In this study, the researcher, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, conducted a nationwide probability-based observation survey of electronic device usage by drivers in the United States. The survey was carried out randomly on selected roadway sites by trained observers. The research was conducted on the basis of sex, age, race, location, weather, type of vehicles, times of travel, passenger availability, among other demographic variables. The main findings were that hand-held cell phone usage by drivers increased to seven percent from the previous year.
The research entailed the use of trained observers, expert researchers, and mathematical statisticians. Despite this, limitations arose from the varying results obtained from the different research stations and different driving patterns, among others. This research is more descriptive with facts to support and relevant for further research in the same field.
Redelmeier, D. A., & Tibshirani R. J. (1997). Association between cellular-telephone calls and motor vehicle collisions. N Engl Medical Journal, 336(7), 453-458.
In this study, the researchers, Redelmier and Tibshirani, were motivated by the belief that the use of mobile phones while driving was a major cause of motor vehicle collisions. They carried out their research on six hundred and ninety-nine drivers who had cell phones and were involved in a serious motor vehicle collision. The research included analyzing each driver’s cell phone calls on the day of the collision. Their findings showed that the risks of collisions when using mobile phones were four times higher than when the cellular-telephone was not used.
Despite the shortcoming of studying only drivers who consented to participate, which probably provided an understatement of the risks, and the varying driving behavior and patterns of the drivers, the research is detailed, well structured, and well supported by facts.
Wilson, F., & Stimpson, J. (2010). Trends in Fatalities From Distracted Driving in the United States, 1999 to 2008. American Journal of Public Health, 100(11), 2213-2219.
In this study, Wilson and Stimpson, motivated by the growing dangers of distracted driving, examined the trends of the fatalities distracted driving causes and their relation to the use of cellular-telephone and texting. In their research, they studied the trends in distracted driving fatalities, the driver and crash characteristics, and the trend in mobile phone use and texting volume from available databases. Their findings showed that fatalities from distracted driving have been on the increased attribute to the use of mobile phones and texting while driving.
The major limitation to this study was the lack of texting volume estimates which they had to calculate using the set texting volume per subscriber, which in a real sense did not portray the actual subscriber texting volumes. The authors being dons at the University of North Texas health sciences center, employed their experience in giving accurate information.