Use Of Hand-held Mobile Phones Research Articles

Handheld mobile telephone use among Melbourne drivers

To evaluate change in handheld mobile telephone (mobile) use among motor vehicle drivers between 2002 and 2006. Observational study of motor vehicle drivers at three times (10:00-11:00; 14:00-15:00; 17:00-18:00) on three consecutive Tuesdays in October 2006 at 12 highway sites in metropolitan Melbourne. Rates of handheld mobile use overall and by the sex and age of drivers, highway site (major metropolitan road, central business district, freeway exit ramp) and time of day. In 2002, 315 of 17 023, and in 2006, 331 of 20 207 drivers were observed using handheld mobiles. This represented a non-significant rate decrease from 18.5 to 16.3 users/1000 drivers (rate difference, 2.1 users/1000 drivers; 95% CI,- 0.6 to 4.8; P = 0.07). Unlike 2002, the rate of handheld mobile use among men in 2006 was significantly higher than for women (rate difference, 3.7 mobiles/1000 drivers; 95% CI, 0.1-7.3; P = 0.03). In both 2002 and 2006, mobile use was most common in the central business district. In 2002, there was significantly more mobile use in the evening, while in 2006, the evening rate was significantly lower than the morning rate (rate difference, 4.3; 95% CI, - 0.1 to 8.7; P = 0.03) and slightly lower than the afternoon rate (rate difference, 3.0; 95% CI, - 1.1 to 7.1; P = 0.08). The effect of age remained unchanged between 2002 and 2006, with older drivers using mobiles least (P < 0.001). The number of drivers at risk from handheld mobile phone use remains almost unchanged. However, a slight reduction in the rate of use overall and variations in use among driver subgroups are apparent. Policing and public awareness campaigns need to further address this preventable risk of injury.

Shifting attention across spaces while driving: are hands-free mobile phones really safer?

It has been often reported that the use of hand-held mobile phones is associated with a degraded driving performance. However, the mechanisms underlying such a negative effect have been rarely addressed. Here we report results of three experiments aimed at investigating whether attentional and conversational factors contribute to impairing performance of drivers that use mobile phones. Indeed, during a conversation through a hand-held phone drivers have to shift continuously their attention between the personal space (wherein the conversation takes place), and the peripersonal and extrapersonal spaces (wherein most of the driving tasks are executed). It may be hypothesized that such a shifting contributes to the cost of using a hand-held phone while driving, as it is known that shifting attention across spaces is associated with a cost in target detection tasks. Also, in a mobile-phone conversation the person outside the vehicle is not aware of what is happening on the road, and that might make more difficult to adjust the conversation (e.g., through an appropriate turn taking) to the traffic environment requirements. In three experiments (run in both real and simulated driving conditions), we compared the performance on a target detection task of subjects engaged in a conversation with hand-held, hands-free (through earphones), hands-free (through external loudspeaker), road-environment aware passenger, and road-environment unaware passenger. Results consistently showed that reactions times to targets were slower in the hand-held and hands-free (through earphones) conditions than in the hands-free (through loudspeakers) condition, suggesting that shifting attention across different spaces contributes to the negative effects of mobile-phone conversations while driving. Instead, the awareness of the road-environment affected only marginally the reaction times to targets, suggesting that conversational factors have more variable and less consistent effects. Results of the present study will be discussed in terms of their theoretical and applied implications.

Extent and variations in mobile phone use among drivers of heavy vehicles in Denmark

A substantial body of research has shown that use of mobile phones while driving can impair driving performance and increase the risk of being involved in accidents. Similarly, mobile phone use seems to be an increasing activity thus representing a relevant traffic safety issue. This paper investigates the extent and variations in mobile phone use among drivers of heavy vehicles in Denmark. The data was collected through written questionnaires and had a response rate of 58%. It was found that more than 99% of the drivers used mobile phones while driving. Despite a prohibition of hand-held mobile phone use while driving 31% of the drivers reported to do so. Analysis of the variations in usage found a positive significant relationship between driving hours and phone use. A negative linear effect was found between age and phone use. Similarly, a positive significant association was found between the number of stops and the amount of phone use. 0.5% reported that their use of mobile phones had contributed to an accident, while 6% had experienced their mobile phone use causing a dangerous situation. However, 66% reported experiencing dangerous situations because of others road users’ mobile phone use. Various implications of the findings are discussed particularly in relation to the drivers with high exposure.

Driver hand-held mobile phone use and safety belt use

The purposes of the study were to identify hand-held mobile phone use trends for Michigan and to compare safety belt use between users and nonusers. Mobile phone and safety belt use was investigated by a direct observation survey of drivers at intersections in Michigan. Data were weighted to calculate mobile phone use and safety belt use rates statewide. The study showed 2.7% of Michigan drivers were using a mobile phone at any given daylight time. Safety belt use of current mobile phone users was significantly lower than those not using mobile phones.

Mobile phone use while driving: public opinions on restrictions

This paper reviews two road-user surveys on the use of mobile phones on the road in Finland where the mobile phone ownership rate is highest in the world (70% in August 2000). From 1998 to 1999 the proportion of drivers that chose to use a mobile phone while driving rose from 56% to 68%, while the proportion of phone using drivers who experienced dangerous situations due to phone use rose from 44% to 50%. The proportion of drivers who used their phones in some way to benefit safety on the road remained at about 55%. The youngest, novice drivers had the highest level of phone usage of all age categories. Over 48% of the interviewees believed that the government should ban the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving, and another 27% believed that all types of mobile phone use should be banned while driving. Those drivers who used their phones the most each day were more likely to want some form of restrictions, than those who had lower usage. This is a strong message to the elected lawmakers and raises the problem of exactly how regulatory bodies would go about controlling the future growth of new driver support and non-driving related communication devices in road vehicles. It was concluded that legislating for hands-free use only would be a reasonable course of action. Mandating that the current generation of equipment should be optimized for hands-free use should result in future generations of in-vehicle equipment also being optimized for hands-free use as a minimum criterion.

Drivers' use of hand-held mobile phones in Western Australia

Using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving has been linked to an increased risk of being involved in a road crash. Little research, however, has been done on actual road exposure rates to this potential safety problem. The main aim of this study was therefore to establish the number of drivers who use hand-held mobile phones while driving, and to discover if this number had increased as compared to similar observations obtained one year earlier. 40 roadside observations were made at major roads during daylight hours. On average approximately 1.5% of all vehicle drivers were observed using hand-held mobile phones. No significant difference was found between the percentage of drivers observed to be using phones in an earlier study and this current study. In addition, separate observations were undertaken at four sites at four periods of the `normal' working day to establish if a possible time of day effect existed. The data found that the level of mobile phone use did not significantly differ during the day, however, as a percentage of vehicle flow, the highest use period was between 11.00 and 12.00. Finally, for the same four sites, supplementary measures were taken to establish personal characteristics of the phone users. It was found that phone users were predominantly male (78%) and less than 40-years old (64%).

Policy- and system-level approaches to health promotion in Australia.

This issue of Health Education & Behavior presents articles from researchers and practitioners in Australia who are working to create supportive political and social environments for health. Much of what happens in health promotion in Australia at the individual, workplace, group, or community level shares similarities with interventions conducted by colleagues across the world. What differs, and what visitors to Australia often remark on, is the high degree of public acceptance of, and legislative-level support for, promotive and protective health practices. At a national level, these include, for example, extensive regulation of smoking in public spaces, vehicle passenger safety restraints, blood alcohol restrictions for drivers supported by random breath testing, bicycle helmet laws, private swimming pool fencing regulations, gun control legislation, and laws preventing the use of hand-held mobile phones in moving vehicles. In this editorial, we briefly describe the Australian context, give a brief overview of the articles in this special issue, and attempt to account for how and why health promotion in Australia has developed a strong policy and system-level focus. 1 Australia is roughly the size of the United States with a population of 19 million people. The population is culturally and linguistically diverse. Indigenous Australians make up 2% of the population. Currently, 8 million residents were born overseas or have parents who were born overseas. More than 280 languages are spoken, including 170 Australian indigenous languages. A language other than English is spoken at home by 16% of the population. Universal access to publicly funded health care has been provided through

INFLUENCE OF MOBILE PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING: The Experience in Taiwan

Many recent investigations and reports revealed that mobile phone use while driving may seriously affect traffic safety. The increase rate of mobile phone ownership in Taiwan was the first among Asian countries for year 2000, with about 4 sets per 5 persons. A study was initiated by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to examine and investigate the influence of mobile phone use while driving in order to determine the legislation needs. Data were collected in four areas: driving reaction test using a simulator, accident reports, questionnaires to drivers involving an accident, and a general public opinion survey. It was found from the driving simulator test that the reaction time for drivers using mobile phones is significantly longer. Age and gender were also found to affect the reaction time. For a four-month period in three selected cities, 3,075 accident reports were examined to reveal that either involved driver carried a mobile phone in 676 cases, and either involved driver was using it in 133 cases. Unsurprisingly, drivers who do not own mobile phones are more inclined to support the ban of using mobile phones while driving. Although the majority of the general public is aware of the adverse effects of using a mobile phone while driving, only 44.2 percent of the responders support a legislative ban. Based on the conclusions of this study, the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan passed a law to ban the use of handheld mobile phones while driving in January 2, 2001. For a compulsory three-month campaign, the regulation will be in force from September 1, with a violation fine of NT$3,000 (approximate to US$90) for drivers and NT$1,000 for motorcyclists.