Technology frequently is described as having both positive and negative aspects. Undoubtedly, technological progress delivers substantial advantages, yet those same advances often produce unforeseen negative consequences.
The explosive growth in cellular telephone usage provides a striking illustration of technology’s potential to harm our communities.
A 2016 study from Harvard Medical School researchers documented that approximately 40,200 individuals lost their lives in motor vehicle accidents during 2015. This figure represented the highest toll in nearly a decade and the most significant increase following years of steady improvement in nearly five decades.
The primary factor identified in this troubling surge was cell phone use. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), distracted driving caused by phones accounts for more than a quarter of all car accidents.
Research cited in a recent New York Times article demonstrates conclusively that hands-free phone use creates cognitive distraction equivalent to holding a device. Voice commands can sometimes prove even more distracting than other forms of phone interaction.
The Times article further notes, “According to a University of Utah study, using a phone, whether hand-held or not, impairs driver performance as much as, or more than, drinking. And many safety advocates hope that distracted driving soon carries the same behavior-altering stigma.
“At least 32 countries across the globe have laws targeting hand-held phone use while driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In Portugal, all phone use while driving, including hands-free, is illegal. The U.K. has recently doubled the fines drivers may face for using a mobile device behind the wheel, and British lawmakers recently proposed life sentences for drivers who kill when using their phones.
“Taking your eyes off the road at 55 mph for the five seconds it takes to send or read a text is similar to driving the length of a football field with your eyes shut.”
Most of us engage in phone conversations while driving, and many of us also text behind the wheel, despite Massachusetts law now prohibiting this practice even at red lights.
As the nuns in our parochial schools used to remind us, “A word to the wise is sufficient.”
We ask our readers to recognize the serious risks associated with cell phone use while driving and to make the commitment to reduce or eliminate this genuinely dangerous behavior.