Driving and talking on a cell phone is not safe: Do you know WHY?

The Genie Within Blog, No. 1.

Driving and talking on a cell phone is not safe: Do you know WHY?

Driving and talking on a cell phone is risky business. One study shows that the accident rate is four times higher for folks driving and cell phoning. (And if another driver in the next lane is doing the same, doesn’t that make the accident rate four times four higher?)

When you know why doing something is wrong, you are less likely to do it. The following four reasons explain why driving while cell phoning is dangerous. Hopefully, knowing why it is dangerous will give you incentive to stop doing it.

One: Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. When you do two things at once you are doing one of these things subconsciously. Most phone conversations have to be conscious. On the other hand, driving can be handled by the subconscious mind. You can drive by rote and get by as long as things go smoothly. But in an emergency, your reaction may be delayed by a fraction of a second. A fraction of a second can make the difference between being in an accident and avoiding one.

It is a fact that you can consciously do only one thing at a time. Try reading an engrossing book and listening to your spouse tell you about a mix-up in your checking account. Your concentration switches back and forth from book to spouse but you cannot concentrate on both at the same instant. (If you are wise, you will put the book down and give full attention to your spouse.)

Two: As smart as the brain is, a surprisingly small area is set aside for conscious activity. Moreover, when you attempt to do two conscious things at once, that area in your brain actually shrinks. You flit back and forth between the two tasks using less brainpower than you would for doing only one task. Thus you cannot do either as well. Note that when you are absorbed in an important phone call at home or work, and you really want to focus, you close your eyes to shut out distractions.

Recent studies show that trying to do two conscious tasks at one time actually kills brain cells and increases anxiety. Being anxious makes driving even dicier.

Think about all the brain cells you are killing next time you are simultaneously preparing a meal, tending two children, talking on the phone to a plumber about a leak, and watching Dr. Phil on TV. This applies to all of us because multitasking has become a way of life.

Three: When you make a cell call, or check a missed call, you have to take your eyes off the road to look at your cell phone display. While looking away, you are not focusing on the road or other cars! How much does that up the odds of an accident?

Four: Obviously, holding a cell phone to your ear requires a hand. That leaves one hand for driving. Again, you can do that fairly well as long as everything is okay. But in an emergency, split seconds will be wasted ending the conversation, deciding what to do with the phone, and getting your hand back on the wheel.

Driving and talking on a cell phone is unsafe. No phone call is worth the risk of an accident or a life. Don’t make your next phone call your last. If you absolutely can't wait, pull over to the curb to make or receive that call.

Harry Carpenter, author of The Genie Within: Your Subconscious Mind—How It Works and How to Use It. www.thegeniewithin.net.

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