7/25/2019 Do Cellular Phones Cause More Vehicular Accidents
1/2
DO CELLULAR PHONES CAUSE MORE VEHICULAR
ACCIDENTS?
Introduction
It is common knowledge that the number one cause of work-related
fatalities isvehicle accidents. Most companies have at least one
truck, if not a whole eet of
vehicles, and their drivers face the hazards of the roadway day
after day.
Sometimes a trip ends tragically.
ow a new technology threatens to increase the accident potential
for drivers. In
more and more companies, cellular phones are being used by
construction, service
and delivery personnel, as well as by management levels.
!esearch has shown that
the use of cellular phones while driving increases the risk of
having an accident
four-fold. "nother study found that having a cellular phone in a
vehicle increased
the risk of being involved in an accident by #$%. !eports also
show an increase in
the number of complains about drivers talking on their cellular
phones while
operating a vehicle.
Reported Hazards Associated it! Ce""u"ar P!ones
&sers are said to be distracted from defensive driving
practices, and less
responsive to high way tra'c situations. (hen they do react,
their response
time is said to be longer.)eople on phone are more likely to
have intense conversations that involve
problem solving which is more distracting that shooting the
breeze with a
passenger.
)assengers in the car often alert drivers to dangerous
situations, in contactto someone on the other end of the line who
is unaware of the tra'c
situation.*ell phone users may be concentrating on dialing a
number or handling the
e+uipment and fail to notice a stop light, tra'c sign, or a
vehicle in front of
them.ot only the driver on the phone, but other drivers on the
roadway are at
increased risk if a cell phone user is the ultimate cause of an
accident.
Sa#et$ Re%inders &or Ce"" P!one Users
eep conversations short and sweet. evelop ways to get free of
long-winded friends and associates while on the road. ont use the
cell phone for
social visiting.
/ang up in tricky tra'c situations-without waiting if necessary.
Safe driving
takes precedence over telephone eti+uette. 0ou can e1plain
later-because
you will still be alive2
!esist dialing a number while on move in heavy tra'c whenever
possible3
wait until you are at a tra'c light or stop sign.
&aci"itator' (i)i"e Maso%ese Henr$ Date' *t!Au+ust% ,-./
7/25/2019 Do Cellular Phones Cause More Vehicular Accidents
2/2
eep even more distance between you and the ahead of you than
normally
recommended.
*onsider a 4hand-free speakerphone system, so you can keep your
hands
on the wheel and your eyes on the road-and still keep talking.
5hese
speakerphones are available for many popular telephone
models
A"" dri0ers are at ris) o# !a0in+ a 0e!ic"e accident 1e#ore2
durin+ or a#ter
3or)2 and t!e use o# ce"" p!one %a$ increase t!is ris)4
Concentrate on t!e
a1o0e re%inders5 Don6t 1eco%e a statistic5
&aci"itator' (i)i"e Maso%ese Henr$ Date' *t!Au+ust% ,-./
