Driving and talking on a cell phone at the same time is a typical example of multitasking. As much as the person may appear to be doing both tasks together at the same, he is in fact switching back and forth from one task to another repeatedly. This process involves goal switching and re-evaluating.
When talking on a cell phone while driving, one is using his “executive control” processes (the mental CEO) found to be associated with the brain’s prefrontal cortex and other key regions such as the parietal cortex. These interrelated cognitive processes establish priorities among tasks and allocate the mind’s resources to them. Executive control involves two distinct, complementary stages: goal shifting and rule activation. Both stages help people switch between tasks unconsciously. Rule activation itself takes significant amounts of time (several tenths of a second). The few seconds required to switch between tasks could translate to a loss of attention over the vehicle, resulting in the vehicle swerving out of control, or traveling far enough to crash into obstacles the driver might have otherwise avoided.
When driving, one needs to be look at different places, read signs and make decisions about where to go through mental speech. There is no way one he can do all that while on a cell phone, because he also has to use his ‘inner ears’ and ‘inner speech’ and even his ‘inner eyes’ to imagine what the person on the phone is talking about. If the conversation becomes difficult, emotionally charged or mentally taxing, it draws more attention and more mental resources away from the primary task of driving the car.
In a study done by the University of Utah, scientists there found that participants, while talking on the phone, missed twice as many simulated traffic signals as when they weren’t talking on the phone. They also took longer to react to traffic signals and there was no difference between hand-held and hands-free performance. This study raises a concern that allowing hands-free cell phone use will have little effect on reducing driver distractions. The cognitive engagement needed while having a conversation is what really impairs a driver’s decision-making ability.
One problem may be the fact that, in general, having a conversation on the phone is not a relaxing experience. There are time restrictions while talking on the phone, especially when it comes to airtime. There is a sense of urgency that sometimes causes individuals to lose their ability to concentrate on the road. All these suggest that this multitasking scenario is potentially disastrous
One might argue that with enough practice, the task of driving will become automatic and hence require less attention, It is also possible that attention can be allocated accordingly as one sees fit. An experienced driver will know when to pay more attention to his driving and not engage in conversation. Therefore, having a cell phone conversation will not affect their driving abilities at all. But this probably only applies to experienced drivers. A new driver would be less likely to possess such skills.
Despite the above stated, the tested and proven fact is that cell phone use does disrupt driving performance by diverting attention to an engaging cognitive context other than the one associated with driving. I feel that it is necessary to have a law against talking on a cell phone for the safety of the general public.
