Driving and Texting in Atlanta Georgia: Common Distractions

A recent Carnegie Mellon study found that simply listening to your cell phone significantly impairs your ability to drive. Drivers who listen to cell phones were found to make the same types of driving errors commonly occurring while driving under the influence of alcohol. Although using cell phones and texting while driving has long been a concern, the Carnegie Mellon study was the first to use brain imaging to actually document their findings.

Twenty nine study volunteers used a driving simulator. They were placed inside an MRI brain scanner during the simulation. They were required to steer the car along a winding road at a fixed, challenging speed. Some drivers were allowed to drive undisturbed, while others were asked to determine whether a sentence they just heard was true or false. Measurements of brain activity in 20,000 locations were taken every second.

The study found that listening alone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent. This reduction caused drivers to weave out of their lane during a driving simulation experiment. The reduction in brain activity was observed in the parietal lobe which integrates sensory information and is used for spatial awareness and navigation and the occipital lobe, involved in processing visual information.

Interestingly, researchers noted that cell phone conversations differ from conversations with passengers in important ways. Not tending to a cell phone conversation can be interpreted as rude; a passenger is more likely to recognize that the driver’s attention is needed elsewhere. Other common distractions such as eating, changing CDs or listening to the radio are thought to have similar effects but were not specifically studied.

Based on studies such as this, many states have adopted “Distracted Driving” laws to combat the rising numbers of drivers attempting to multi-task during their commute. Five states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Washington) have enacted bans on the use of handheld cell phones while driving. In all states except Washington, this is a primary enforcement law, meaning you can be pulled over just for using your cell phone without committing an additional moving violation. Six states (Alaska, California, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington) ban texting while driving for all drivers. 18 more ban texting for novice drivers. Seventeen states, including Georgia, ban all cell phone use by school bus drivers, except in the case of an emergency. Even if your state isn’t listed, it is in your best interest to save cell phone use for when you’ve safely arrived at your destination.

For a state-by-state comparison, see the Governors Office of Highway Safety website at http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.

For a copy of the Carnegie Mellon study, see Carnegie Mellon news at http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/March/march5_drivingwhilelistening.shtml