No, Cell Yacking-Drivers Do Not Slow Down Traffic
by Russell Shaw
University of Utah psych prof David Strayer is out with a study claiming that motorists who talk on cellphones while in the act of driving tend to clog traffic.
His premise is that cellphone use distracts drivers to the point that their reactions on the road are slower, and lesser speed is part of that slowness.
“It’s simply a matter of brain overload. Your frontal cortex can handle only so many tasks at one time, so you slow down,” Strayer said.
According to Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press, Strayer’s findings determined that overall, cell phone drivers took about 3 percent longer to drive the same highly traffic-clogged route (and about 2 percent longer to drive a medium congested route) than people who were not on the phone. About one in 10 drivers is on the phone so it really adds up, Strayer said.
Makes sense until you take into account how the study was compiled, as well as what the study didn’t measure.
The entire study was conducted on traffic simulators. These machines are useful, but simply can’t replace the infinite and constantly changing variables motorists encounter in the real world.
Then, well put it this way. The way I drive, when I see someone yacking on their cell I pass them if I can. I want out of their way. I know I am not alone.
So my parting question for this post would be: if someone drives slower than normal because they are yacking on their cell, and then a group of drivers pass that distracted motorist, doesn’t overall traffic move faster as a result?
