This must be the time of year when studies come out. A few weeks ago we had the AAA Foundation report on the effectiveness of legislation aimed at teen drivers, and that was supported the other day by a study released by Johns Hopkins. Now a study from the University of Utah shows that drivers who are engaged in conversation on their cell phones are just as impaired as drivers with blood alcohol levels of .08.
Supporting some earlier studies this one found that it didn?t matter whether the cell phone was hands-free.
The conversation was the distraction, slowing reaction times of the participants by 9 percent.
The Utah studies were conducted in driving simulators and had participants follow a pace car that hit its brakes intermittently.
This study is certain to renew the call for a ban on any and all cell phone conversations behind the wheel, although, as you might imagine, the cell phone manufacturers have their own take on this information.
Taking action
Jim writes: “I was shocked [on Friday] by what I observed a driver doing in fairly heavy traffic. About 11 a.m., while exiting I-83 South to I-695 West, I noticed the driver in the car next to me on the exit ramp reading a newspaper spread out over his steering wheel.
“Is there any action I could have taken to help get this driver off the road?”
Yes, Jim, there is something you can do: Press #77 and then “send” on your cell phone. This will connect you with the closest state police barracks in a non-emergency status.
You should be prepared to give the person answering the phone a detailed description of the car, including a full or partial license plate number, the direction the vehicle is traveling and what the driver was doing.
Keep in mind that the idea is for them to dispatch officers to observe the driver doing the same thing. They don?t need to know you spotted the offense on southbound Interstate 83 if the driver is already on Interstate 695 West.
Keep in mind as well that your opinion as to what MIGHT happen to the driver is irrelevant. Just describe what you saw happening that led you to call.
Transportation questions? Thoughts, comments, random musings? Do you have an idea how to make Baltimore?s commute a little easier for everyone? Write to Steve at [email protected].
