Although some states and cities have passed laws to ban texting and using handhe

Question

Although some states and cities have passed laws to ban texting and using handheld phones while driving, there is no current law to ban all cell phone use while driving. However, according to the National Safety Council (2009), 28 percent of all crashes—1.6 million per year—are caused by cell phone use and texting by drivers. The mission of a new national nonprofit organization called FocusDriven, patterned after Mothers Against Drunk Driving, is to make phone use while driving as illegal and socially unacceptable as drunk driving.
compare and contrast the cognitive abilities that are affected during cell phone use while driving.

Explanation / Answer

Driving is a highly cognitively complex activity. It requires sustained attention and the ability to process information quickly and correctly. We are required to respond to all surrounding information that we encounter and estimate speed and distance accordingly. When we use our cell phone while driving, our attention is divided between the two activities. In order to carry them out, our brain switches quickly from one activity to the other. The danger stems from the fact that the brain cannot process separate streams of information efficiently. The brain is also likely to prioritize attention to the information from the cell phone conversation, because this information is temporary. On the other hand, the visual view of the road or highway does not change as rapidly, and so the brain periodically ignores some of the visual information.

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