An Analysis of the Risks Associated with Cell Phone Use While Driving , and Implications for Regulation

Daniel L. Abravanel Daniel Abravanel chose to enroll in Cary Moscovitz’s Writing 20 course “The Science Behind the Controversy” because of his “strong interest in science, especially biology,” and his desire to develop his “analytical writing skills related to scientific research. ” The class studied “several public policy controversies that are grounded in scientific research—including the cases for and against water fluoridation and restricting cell phone use while driving. ” Mr. Abravanel’s essay focuses on the latter issue and offers his interpretation of the relevant data and its regulatory implications. Mr. Abravanel notes: “During the last three summers I worked in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health, assisting in biological research, and saw first hand how important it is for investigators to be able to convey the results of their studies. ” Of particular concern, he says, is the ability of scientists (and science reporters) to communicate findings to the general public in a manner that is both accessible and accurate, especially when— as in the case of cell phone usage by motorists—the results of their studies have important implications for public policy. Mr. Abravanel credits Professor Moscovitz’s course with providing “techniques for. sorting through evidence and evaluating methodologies,” as well as practice in formulating coherent and unbiased analyses. Cellular telephones are overwhelmingly popular. As of June 2001, there were 116 million cell phone subscribers in the United States (Strayer and Johnston 2001). One reason for this popularity is convenience. Cell phones allow people to communicate with each other from virtually anywhere—easily and instantly. While they may be the ultimate communications convenience, however, cell phones have a significant drawback: a seemingly innocent call made while driving a car can endanger lives. That the risk of an accident is elevated when using a cell phone is convincingly established by the combination of epidemiologic and experimental research done on the issue. Considering the ethical and public safety concerns involved, this evidence is sufficient to justify legislation regulating cell phone use. The risk to life and limb outweighs whatever amount of convenience is associated with being able to make a call while driving. As no technology currently exists that can adequately reduce this risk or eliminate it altogether, a total legislative ban on cell phone use while driving appears to be the only satisfactory course of action. Two complementary types of studies have been done to investigate the possibility that cell phone use while driving increases the risk of having an accident: epidemiologic analyses and controlled experiments. Epidemiologic analyses of past car crashes have documented the extent to which accidents are correlated with cell phone use. Although the studies confirm such an association, they are not able to demonstrate that cell phone usage caused the crashes to occur. Controlled experiments, on the other hand, have determined that subjects engaged in phone conversations generally perform worse in simulated driving exercises than those not so engaged. While neither type of study alone is definitive, due to their different methodological limitations, taken together they provide a strong case that a driver using a cell phone is at increased risk of having an accident. Moreover, this conclusion has not diminished over the years, as more recent research has confirmed essentially the same result as earlier studies on this subject.