Using a Mobile Phone While Driving

Modern people put themselves at risk almost every day. But the greatest danger comes when you're behind the wheel of your own car. Strangely enough, knowing the rules of the road well and being an excellent driver isn't enough. Even when both conditions are met, drivers manage to expose themselves to needless risk by breaking simple rules, for example by talking on the phone. For many people, a phone call is an everyday thing. Some hold their gadget in their hands for hours at a time. It is most frightening when such people get behind the wheel. But many don't understand why a mobile phone behind the wheel is so dangerous. It all comes down to the human ability to focus attention. Surprisingly, it's impossible to devote 100% of it to a single thing. We are constantly distracted, now by sounds, now by objects around us. In practice, a driver gives the road only 50 to 80% of their attention. The rest is wasted. That might be fine if a conversation of any kind didn't also demand attention. A phone conversation can take up as much as 80% of a driver's mental capacity. As a result, even the lowest level of attention drops by another 30%, since only 20% is left for the road. While talking, the driver pays less attention to the roadside and to the speed of surrounding cars and the vehicles ahead, and so can't react to a pedestrian suddenly running into the road or to the car in front stopping abruptly. Over the past several years, a number of studies have been conducted. Some have suggested that talking with a passenger may be even more dangerous than talking on the phone, because many drivers (90%) turn their gaze toward the person they're speaking with while saying a word. The result is an extremely inattentive driver, dangerous both to others and to themselves. So think twice before picking up the phone behind the wheel: "Is this call worth my life?" Remember your passengers, the drivers of other cars, and ordinary pedestrians, whose lives also depend on you. If a phone call is truly necessary, pull over and stop, make your call, and only continue driving once the conversation is over.