Cell Phone users Read! :)

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 by Weaksid | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk

I came across this and I thought I would post this. Just think how it will effect your skinning abilities too

"Don't talk and design, may cause errors" Just like don't drink and date

New research from the University of Utah has revealed a potentially lethal "tunnel vision" that drivers get while talking on a cell phone.
Researchers found that drivers using cell phones, even hands-free devices, aren't processing peripheral vision well. The scientists studied twenty volunteers who used a driving simulator to experience all sorts of distractions, from cars suddenly swerving to a stoplight changing. In one test, a driver on a phone and one focused solely on the road were shown the same series of billboards. The driver not yakking remembered seeing 50 percent more billboards than the driver on the phone, the study found.

Associate professor David Strayer said this is "inattention blindness," an impairment that slows reaction time by 20 percent and made some drive-and-dial practitioners miss half the red lights they were suddenly presented with in some simulations.

"We found that when people are on the phone, the amount of information they are taking in is significantly reduced," he said of the study, the results of which will be published in the March edition of the American Psychology Association's Journal of Experimental Society: Applied. "People were missing things, like cars swerving in front or sudden lane changes. We had at least three rear-end collisions."

The study is among many investigations into the effects of driving and using a cell phone. Most have shown some impairment. New York is the only state with laws punishing those who drive while talking on a handheld cell phone. Thirty states, though, have legislation pending.

Another study from General Motors and Wayne State University is investigating how much emotion has to do with it. Researchers from GM and the university's medical school will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with virtual reality driving simulations for the first time.

The Utah study differed from others because it didn't study the distractions of dialing or holding a phone. Instead, it tried to focus solely on the distractions of having a conversation, Strayer said.

"Most people's knee-jerk reaction is that the cell phone is held, and there is clearly a distraction involved in that," he said.

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Jafo
Reply #21 Wednesday, January 29, 2003 3:53 PM
Just to push my point....it is clear and evident that if a Formula One driver [a person who holds a 'super' licence....only a few dozen of them in the world]....who can drive a car at speeds up to 320kph, cornering, braking and accelerating in excess of 2Gs and gear-changing once every 2 seconds for two hours at a time...0 to 100 in 2 seconds...etc, etc...CANNOT pass a simple driving test while talking on a mobile [cell]...then I can unequivocally guarantee that mere mortals will fail dismally.

Webber was the guy who launched a Mercedes [twice] into orbit during an eventful LeMans event...seems aerodynamics were screwy when following other cars at 340 odd kph.

BTW, geared for 'freeway racing' [ovals], an F1 would probably be nudging 400....certainly the '87 vintage Brabham BMW's...1500cc and 1200 horsepower in qualifying would get there...

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