Phone Use While Driving

Mobile Phones

One of the most important concepts in public safety is the idea of "accidents." That is the wrong word for a collision that was avoidable either through attention or preventative measures. There are very few accidents on the roads. There are collisions, and they are caused by either mechanical error or human error. The word 'accident' lets people off the hook for their mistakes, mistakes that nobody should make if they are doing their job. The reality is that there are a lot of things that people do to cause collisions. One is that they take their attention away from the task at hand. When a person is operating a 2000-lb, traveling at a speed sufficient to induce deadly force, one may wish to pay attention, to prevent collisions. Mobile phones are just one of many sources of driver distraction, but there should be penalties associated with driving with any distraction, including mobile phones.

The Hazards of Mobile

Mobile phones are one of the many sources of distraction on the road. Drivers look at their phones, in particular smartphones, and this takes their vision and their concentration off the road. Simple mathematics holds that taking one's eyes off of the road for 2 seconds at 100 kph means that they have travelled blind for 55 metres (Ruiz, 2014). Many drivers will look at their phones for longer, in particular if they are sending/reading text messages. A lot can change even in the short span when someone has diverted their attention. Vehicles change lanes, they can change speeds, there may be pedestrians, new vehicles or other obstacles, and there may be changes in the road conditions. Distracted motorists "swerve between lines, drive too close to the vehicle in front, misjudge traffic situations" (Ruiz, 2014) and ultimately they are the leading cause of collisions.

Among causes of distraction, mobile use is especially prevalent among younger people. This may be a combination of factors, such as young people using their phones more, or that perhaps young people are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviours, or that young people perhaps simply lack the experience to recognize the risk. Whatever the reason, nearly one-third of UAE motorists admits to using their mobiles while driving (Ruiz, 2014), and studies from all over the world have shown that young people are especially at risk for such behaviours (Madden & Lenhart, 2009). A study in Australia found that eating was just as dangerous, but that texting was clearly a cause of poorer driving performance (Alosco et al., 2012).

Age

Age impacts the use of mobile while driving. Younger drivers are more likely to not only use their smartphones while driving, but they are also more likely to have collisions, and arguably this is why they are more likely to have collisions relating to their use of phones while driving. The UAE has a very high of both traffic collisions and fatalities. Solon (2011) notes that during a three-day Blackberry outage -- Blackberry having market leadership in the UAE at the time -- there were 20% fewer collisions in Dubai and 40% fewer collisions in Abu Dhabi.

Ruiz (2014) also notes that younger drivers aged 18 to 24 were more likely than average to use their phones while driving. In one survey, 43% admitted to doing so. Nearly half believed that there was a link between losing concentration while driving and being involved in a collision. Other types of distraction were as prevalent, including conversations with passengers, changing the radio and changing the air conditioning (Ruiz, 2014). Still, the survey indicates that while many who are aware of the issue have taken safety to heart, there are likely some who have not and still engage in these dangerous behaviours.

Safety Measures

New safety measures have been passed in many places in order to reduce distracted driving, but this is by no means universal. In the UAE, new rules have been put into place to allow authorities to fine people committing any number of different distracted driving infractions, including adjusting traditional headgear to applying makeup to using cell phones or smart phones. The fine is 200 dirhams, and it applies to any motorist with a phone in his/her hand at a traffic light or intersection. Four black points will also be issued for this offense. The use of hands-free devices in order to use a phone is still accepted, as the crackdown is focused on behaviours that involve the use of hands (Nagraj, 2014).

In addition, there has been a public information campaign, and the promotion of several devices that allow for hands-free operation of phones while driving, Additionally, students at driving schools are taught about the dangers of using a phone while driving, as it is believed that there is a correlation between awareness of the issue and people avoiding the use of their phone (Ruiz, 2015). Safe practices are more likely when people understand what safe and unsafe practices are. In 2014, there were 30,000 tickets issued to drivers in Abu Dhabi for using a mobile phone while driving, compared with 8000 in 2008 (Ruiz, 2015). Whether this means that there has been more phone usage while driving, or simply more enforcement, is unknown.

The result of this enforcement is that drivers will do one of three things. One is that they might well continue to drive while distracted. The second is that they will stow their phone. This is the safest option, but for many there is the perception that this option is not viable. The reality is that people lived just fine for decades, driving without a phone, but phones have simply become a part of daily life that many feel that they cannot do without. But there are many technological solutions to this issue, many ways to operate a phone hands-free.

While this does not guarantee distraction-free driving, because conversations while driving can still be a distraction, it will reduce the danger as the driver will be able to see the road more easily. Furthermore, mandating a ban on handheld devices while driving will at the very least be something that can be enforced. It would be very difficult if not entirely impossible to enforce a prohibition on the use of hands-free devices while driving, so the current rules are about as good as possible. There is room, however, to increase the fines if the current levels are not proving to be a sufficient deterrent. So the law does not prevent drivers from using their phones, and that would be difficult to do, but it does prevent them from using their hands, and compels drivers to utilize the number of different handheld options that are available for people to operate their phones and even perform complex functions without needing to hold the phone in their hand or look at the phone while they are driving.