User:Tutorial06.Group2

Cell Phones and Driving
You'll survive a missed phone call; you might not survive a collision.



Who are we?


Team Name: SMS

Group Members: Amy, Devon, Jill, Tasha, Tom

Initial Project Statement
In the United States alone, somebody dies every twelve minutes in a car accident; that’s 40,000 people per year. With today’s fast-paced lifestyle and constant multi-tasking, more people are driving while distracted by their cellphones. Until the Canadian government officially makes laws preventing cell phone use while driving, people will continue to die senselessly. We will be taking a look at the arguments for and against this issue, as well as ways to prevent further deaths. We will also compare the car accident rates between a province which has laws preventing cellphone use to one which does not have any such laws. Our project is based on secondary research.

The Situation


You may think that this isn’t really a problem, or that if it is, it certainly can’t be a big one. You would be wrong. This is a problem that has been growing recently, especially in the past 10 years. This is not something that goes away, but rather gets worse unless preventative action occurs. For instance, in the US alone, cars accidents claim a life every 12 minutes. That adds up to approximately 40 000 deaths a year alone from just car accidents. That is no small number. These deaths are not solely the responsibility of cell phone-using drivers, but a great many of them are.

...for
Even though when cell phones are used improperly while driving the facts about them isn’t all negative. If properly used cell phones in cars can mean added security while on the road. Cell phones can be used to acquire directions, when you’d like to report a dangerous driving condition, or if you require Emergency Roadside Assistance. A cell phone can be your best friend and for many it is. In 2003 Verizon arranged with AMA to make cell phones with one-touch access to Emergency Roadside Assistance for members.

...against
Issues such as drunk driving have received plenty of attention, thanks to the efforts of organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Cell phone use while driving is still relatively new and hasn't received as much attention as it deserves. The statistics show that people who use their cell phones while driving are much more likely to be involved in a crash than those who do not use one. If you use your phone while driving, you are not only risking hurting or killing yourself, but you are risking killing an innocent person. Many groups are arguing that cell phone use while driving should be deemed illegal due to the statistical evidence against it.



Statistics


-A typical call from a cell phone lasts around 2.5 minutes, and in the time one-five minutes before an accident, the risk of actually being involved in an accident was almost five times higher than normal.

-The rate of collisions is four times higher than normal if the person has made a call less then fifteen minutes before an accident.

-The risk associated with talking on a cell phone while driving stops after the person has been off the phone for fifteen or more minutes.

-There is no correlation between age and accidents while the driver is talking on the cell phone. Old and young drivers face basically the same danger.

-Those with the highest risk are those who are still high school students and, surprisingly, those who have more years of experience using cellular phones had a considerable increase in risk.

-While driving 110km per hour during a period of three seconds you would have traveled the length of a football field. Although three seconds doesn't seem as though it would make a big deal - it does. Many things can happen while driving the distance of a football field.

Compared to other driving dangers


In Canada driving while impaired (DWI) and speeding are the two main causes of collisions leading to personal injury. In 2007, 28% of drivers killed in Quebec had a blood alcohol level over .08mg/100ml. In 2006 around 3,800 people were either killed or seriously injured on Canadian roads in collisions involving excessive speed. Studies estimate that more than 20 percent of all traffic collisions involve excessive speed or driving too fast for conditions.

In 2005 3,226 people were killed in collisions. Of these fatalities 501 were in Alberta. Of all these collisions it was proved that alcohol played a factor in 34.1% of these collision. So, 1,003 people died due to drinking and driving. In 2005 254 people in Alberta died due to Drinking and Driving, which had increased over 60 people from the previous year! With Speeding and Drinking and Driving as the two main factors of deadly collisions in Canada more than 56% of all collisions are caused by the Driver being distracted – and in most cases by the use of a cell phone.

Varying laws
Here in Canada we’re seeing a large movement against driving while using cell phones, or at the very least, official attention is being directed towards the dangers and possible solutions to the problem. This includes both provincial and municipal levels of governments getting involved in the situation, with our federal government still debating its course of action. So far, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Quebec have introduced legislation that enables drivers who are even spotted driving while on the phone to be charged with various things such as dangerous driving or careless driving. Additional charges may be laid if there is a crash and/or if fatalities result. The fines in these three provinces vary; In Newfoundland and Labrador fines can range from $45-$180. In Nova Scotia fines will range from $165 for the first offense, $222 for the second offense and for any offense after that it wil be a fine of $337. Quebec currently has the strictest cell phone laws. Any violator of the cell phone ban will be fined between $80-$100 and receive 3 demerit. Although the fines are the least among the three provinces the demerits will cost more money in regards to insurance premiums.

Although the other provinces and territories in Canada have not established their own cell phone ban while driving, drivers who are proven to be at fault in a collison can be fined under the "dristracted driver" bylaw of that jurisdiction if there were on their cell phones at the time of the collison.

There are many countries where cell phone bans have been imposed;

-  Australia

-   Austria

-    Belgium

-    Brazil

-    Chile

-    China

-    Denmark

-  Finland

-  Greece

...to name a few.

Alternatives?
Are hands-free devices safe? No. Research indicates that there is an increased risk of collision when using a cell phone, even if it is hands-free. Distraction that arises from the need to think about the conversation is still present. Hands-free phones reduce only the requirement to physically operate the phone. So what does this all mean? Don't use your phone in the car! Pull over. Stop at a gas station. Wait until you get home. Whatever you do, don't talk while you are driving.

Our Position
Frankly this is a matter of contention to our generation. With cell phones being ubiquitous in our lives, it can be hard to function without one. Answering calls or texts is just routine business, why should your surrounding environment affect that?And this is also not to say that cell phones don’t have a place in the car. Say you run out of gas in the middle of the nowhere or happen upon an accident. A cell phone can certainly be regarded as a valuable tool for highway safety for matters such as these. It’s all a matter of being responsible when using your phone while driving. If you need to take a call pull to the shoulder or park before doing so.