The danger of phone using while driving: How phones affect your driving

Being on the phone while driving has a notorious reputation for being one of the most common causes of road accidents. However, in the world of constant connectivity, some people could not resist the urge of being on the phone and ignore the fatal danger of this behavior. Even it might be clichéd to recall the threats of using phones when driving, it is still necessary to repeat all over again the danger of this habit. So, in the following part, we will remind you of how dangerous cell phone use while driving could be. 

1. Reduce driver’s sight

Eyes could only look at either the road or the phone

According to studies, the use of phone will immediately limit the sight of the driver, reduce the visibility and the awareness of what is ahead. Moreover, distracting by the mobile phone will affect the responsiveness to any unexpected accidents. Agreeably, your eyes are not able to look in different directions. It will be either on the road or on the phone. When driving on road, a car crash could happen just in a matter of seconds. That's why engaging eyes on the phone for just three seconds could lead you to a hazardous situation.

If you have to use the navigation app on your phone, you can follow the useful tips for better use of GPS while driving.

2. Affect the manual performance of the hands while driving

You can hardly drive safely with just one hand

Being on the phone also reduces the preciseness of a driver’s driving. The drivers could not take a bend properly and even drive to the wrong lane. It is understandable as the cornering and bending require the engagement of both hands. The use of one hand could not fulfil the task. Therefore, always keep your both hand on the wheels.

3. Distract the mental cognition by talking on the phone

Talking on the phone when driving could intervene the mental progress

One common perception is that talking on the phone is acceptable as both of your eyes and hands are committing to the driving task, therefore, it would never affect the driving. And that is a perilous thought. Even though having a conversation could not directly distract your visibility and the hand engagement, it could degrade the function of your brain procession.

We are not on the phone for the regular chatting but, mostly, for more important matters. It is understandable that, talking, especially talking on the phone, could lead the drivers into the highly emotional state and engaging thought, which is never a good thing for driving. This has been proved by a study of Carnegie Mellon University. Marcel Just, the director of the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging and the head of this study, said that:

"Talking on a cell phone has a special social demand, such that not attending to the cell conversation can be interpreted as rude, insulting behavior."

It explains how demanding and pervasive the act of talking on the phone could be. Besides, the study also shows that listening could decline the function of the parietal lobe – the brain part which is associated with driving activities - by 37 percent.

Some people would seek help from accessories such as car phone mount, Bluetooth headset with a hope that it will help them being on phone without interrupting their hands being on the steering wheel. Little do they know that even when they are assisted by the gadget to make phone calls hands-free, it remains dangerous to use phones anyway. Marcel Just suggested:

"Drivers need to keep not only their hands on the wheel; they also have to keep their brains on the road.”

All of these drawbacks give enough valid reasons why the use of phones when driving is illegal. This ban is somehow universal, which could tell how massively hazardous it is. It is dangerous to develop the habit of using the phone as we’ll get used to with the habit and not underestimate the danger of phone use when driving. And remember that, being concentrate is always the best safety tip. 

Read more tips and guides on safety driving from IndianAuto:

• How to Mitigate Night Blindness

• How to drive in the rain safely