Abstract
The following research paper is devoted to the issue of texting while driving, the risks of it, and the feasible measures of addressing the issue. The paper addresses the problem of distraction when using the phone in the process of driving – particularly texting. As the author is well aware that action is the best solution, the paper adopts the perspective of starting small. Consequently, it enlists the most optimal measures of preventing the risks that can be conducted on small scale, without involving the government. To single out these solutions, relevant literature on the subject has been overviewed and analyzed. It was concluded that primary care practitioners can make a difference by promoting tool research and, more importantly, increasing public awareness on the subject of texting while driving. The paper is relevant since it relies on facts and provides feasible problem-solving strategy to adequately handle the issue of texting while driving.
Main
When one uses a phone – either hands free or handheld – while driving, a very important thing to consider is distraction The mechanism of brain distraction consists in looking at objects through the windshield or mirrors but not actually seeing them as non-distracted drivers see and react accordingly (National Safety Council, 2012). As a result, texting while driving is responsible for quite an amount of accidents. To solve the issue, there were some governmental measures including banning handheld phone usage when driving, which made some drivers opt for hands free instead. But, even though the use of hands free devices and auto responders has their benefits, precautions need to be created in order to prevent drivers from texting and driving.
Studies show that at least 23% of annual car crashing rates involve drives using their phones at the moment of accident (Bo et al., 2013). Texting while driving can affect men and women equally, regardless of age and other characteristics. To understand the reasons young and mature drivers text and otherwise use their phones when driving it is necessary to refer to psychology. Among the factors contributing to texting while driving is gender predisposition. On average, an equal amount of men and women are engaged in texting while driving and phone conversations. For both sexes, the main reason of texting and talking on the phone while driving is cell phone dependence combined with confidence in driving (Struckman-Johnson, Gaster, Struckman-Johnson, Johnson, & May-Shinagle, 2015).
Another study asserts that teenagers might be affected as well as their parents. The reason is that teenagers tend to perceive the parents’ driving behavior as a norm and reflect it when driving on their own, texting while driving included (Bingham, Zakrajsek, Almani, Shope, & Sayer, 2015). Overall, in novice drivers as well as experienced, operating their cell phone is the leading cause of distraction resulting in crashes and near-crashes. Other non-phone-related activities causing accidents are plentiful, but they are distractive by nature (Klauer et al., 2014). Overall, the tendency to text and talk on the phone while driving is a serious issue; as the studies show, all population groups can be affected by texting while driving regardless of their age and gender.
Other socio-economic factors do not have any impact on whether a person will use their phone when driving or not. It is true that some states such as Washington have made texting while driving illegal, creating the impression that hands free phone usage is safer (National Safety Council, 2012). The main benefit that hands free phones have is that the drivers’ eyes are on the road – but the brain is distracted all the same. Consequently, such solution addresses the symptoms of the problem while the most important factor remains overlooked.
One of the sides of the issue is a purely technical one, regarding the usage of a phone as a factor of distraction. Consequently, one of the propositions is to curb the texting while driving situation just as it emerges – technically. For that sake, a team of computer researchers have put forward a conceptual program TEXIVE (Bo et al., 2013). The program is basically an inertial sensor, but with every component of it tuned as finely as possible. It would involve several steps in distinguishing whether the driver texts when driving mainly detection of walking pace and in-care space. As a result, the system would be able to estimate whether the person in the vehicle is the driver or the passenger (Bo et al., 2013). As far as it is known, the idea has not got development. At any rate, the use of conventional inertial sensors has not gone far enough to detect TWD. What can be done on the side of customers is pressing the issue and allocating the concern to the developers within the framework of safety education and promotion.
As far as education and promotion of public is concerned, it is the measure that addresses the root cause of the problem. Which is why another solution to the issue of texting while driving is increasing public awareness through preventive educational campaigns. Promoting either research for tools to specifically address texting while driving or upgrade conventional step counter mobile applications so that they could sense when the owner is texting while driving is a part of the strategy. Also, advocation for and endorsement of research on the connections between texting while driving and accidents rate could be deployed to further increase awareness. Another – and probably the most feasible – part of awareness promotion is working with people and approaching each of them individually.
Instead of preaching, nurses could deploy a more educational approach. Drivers could be encouraged to learn the mechanisms of vision and hearing distraction that occurs when they text and drive or talk and drive. The patients thus learn the difference between a distracted and undistracted brain and can know their normal. Another tool for primary care practitioners is written information. For instance, patients could be asked questions on texting while driving and distraction when annually reviewing their safety and health. After the patients’ position on the subject of texting while driving is assessed, they could be encouraged to discuss possible risks and, finally, offered some tips to reduce them. The tips could include either switching off their phones when driving or asking their passengers to take it up or text for them (Sherin et al., 2014).
To conclude, to solve the issue of such great scope as texting while driving it is best to start on the smaller scale and increase awareness of the issue. For phone users, the most optimal solution would be to encourage tool development, while for nursing practitioners, it is possible to inform patients, within the scope of preventive medicine, to take responsibility for their safety driving.
References
Bo, C., Jian, X., Li, X., Mao, X., Wang, Y., & Li, F. (2013). You’re Driving and Texting: Detecting Drivers Using Personal Smart Phones by Leveraging Inertial Sensors. Web.
Bingham, C. R., Zakrajsek, J. S., Almani, F., Shope, J. T., & Sayer, T. B. (2015). Do as I say, not as I do: Distracted driving behavior of teens and their parents. Journal of Safety Research, 55, 21-29.
Klauer, S. G., Guo, F., Simons-Morton, B. G., Ouimet, M. C., Lee, S. E., & Dingus, T. A. (2014). Distracted Driving and Risk of Road Crashes among Novice and Experienced Drivers. New England Journal of Medicine, 370, 54-59.
National Safety Council. (2012). Understanding the Distracted Brain: Why Driving While Using Hands-Free Cell Phones Is Risky Behavior. Web.
Sherin, K. M., Lowe, A. L., Harvey, B. J., Leiva, D. F., Malik, A., Matthews, S., & Suh, R. (2014). Preventing Texting while driving: A Statement of the American College of Preventive Medicine. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(5), 681-688.
Struckman-Johnson, S., Gaster, S., Struckman-Johnson, D., Johnson, M., & May-Shinagle G. (2015). Gender differences in psychosocial predictors of texting while driving. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 74, 218-228.