ID Number		1714
Study Type		Epidemiology
Model		Mobile phone use while driving and correlation with vehicle accidents
Details		Volunteers using a driving simulator were compared during intoxication (0.8% blood alchohol) and holding a conversation on a mobile phone. The authors report that when using either hand-held mobile phone or hands free kits and holding a conversation, reaction time was decreased (18%), following distance was increased (12%), recovery speed was decreased (17%), and they were involved in more (simulated) traffic accidents (2-fold increase). The effects were found to be similar to intoxication. the authors also report that mobile phone use impairs perceptual memory for items presented at fixation. In contrast, driving performance was not significantly disrupted by listening to the radio or a book on tape. Performance was also not disrupted by simple shadowing tasks using the mobile phone handset. The authors conclude that it is the active engagement in a complex discussion rather than the physical manipulation of the phone that contributes to the impairment in driving. An interesting side-observation was that young drivers on mobile phones had reaction times similar to elderly adults. Additional studies suggested the distractions by mobile phone use may have far reaching consequences in traffic management and flow.
Findings		Not Applicable to Bioeffects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		University of Utah, USA - david.strayer@utah.edu
Funding Agency		Private/Instit.
Country		UNITED STATES
References		Strayer, DL et al. Hum Factors, (2006) 48:381-391 Strayer, Dl et al. Hum Factors, (2004) 46:640-649 Lee, JD et al. Hum Factors, (2004) 46:583-586 Strayer, DL et al. J Exp Psychol Appl, (2003) 9:23-32 Strayer, DL et al. Psychol Sci, (2001) 12:462-466 Cooper, JM et al. Hum Factors, (2009) 51:261-268 Cooper, JM et al. Hum Factors, (2008) 50:893-902
Comments