Forgot to mention what I revised!
My article summary essay was very long, and some of the articles I used weren't officially academic journals. But after a bit of frustration, I found better articles and cut out what I wrote about the original articles. This version is slightly more streamlined in terms of paragraph structure, and I tried to keep the summaries more concise and informative this time. Also, in order to use the journals I found, I had to broaden my topic a little to include other driving distractions instead of strictly text message usage.
Overall, I think the revised version is more to-the-point, organized, and follows the guidelines of the assignment much better.
Friday, October 9
Wednesday, October 7
Article Summaries (revised!)
The Dangers of Driving While Distracted
Several articles address the issue of the dangers caused by people, especially teenagers, text messaging and using hand-held devices while driving. Lawrence T. Lam, in The Journal of Safety Research, explains that the huge proportion of injuries and deaths as a result of automobile accidents, and the problem of drivers' distraction with an emphasis on the effect of the age of the driver, are of growing concern. Lam reports that the chances of a traffic accident were six times as likely if a driver talks more than 50 minutes per month, and that the risk of such an accident was four times as likely when a cell phone was being used. In-vehicle distraction is a major cause of traffic accidents, especially among drivers in their early 20's using cell phones and among older drivers whose cognitive abilities are impaired already (Lam). These problems should be addressed either with new legislation or with better education and the spreading of awareness.
A study in Australia by researchers Walsh, White, Hyde, and Watson, indicated that most drivers realize the risks associated with the use of their cell phones, and despite Australian laws forbidding this behavior, continue to use them. Experiments put in place measured almost eight hundred subjects' perception of risk, and planned behavior related to cell phone use while driving. The results revealed that younger participants were far more likely to text message while driving, and since young drivers and businessmen are the most likely to be involved in traffic accidents, their cell phone use increases their chances even more (Walsh). The article advocates a stronger sense of general disapproval to be motivation for people to put away their cell phones while driving; most drivers who perceived acceptance of their habits or judged the benefits of texting to outweigh the risk of crashing, were far more likely to use their phones while driving.
The article from the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics argues that adolescents should be studied and better educated, because many young adults grasp concepts like the dangers of driving while drinking or while distracted, but few seemed able to properly discern what behaviors were most hazardous to their driving. Researchers investigated the problems by engaging 443 youths to write survey questions about what affects the safety of teen drivers, analyzing the different laws and demographics of certain states and areas, studying over five thousand high schoolers' responses, and narrowing the study down to a few classes per school for more specific questions (Ginsberg). Results showed that adolescents viewed driving under the influence of alcohol as the greatest danger, followed closely by text messaging or using a handheld device, which ranked more dangerous, according to students, than even racing, road rage, passenger distractions, loud music, speeding, inexperience, or not wearing seatbelts. Also, students with lower grades, students who didn't wear seatbelts, and students who drink regularly perceived many fewer options, including text messaging, as dangerous or affecting driver safety (Ginsberg). The group of pediatricians and researchers used the study to better understand why so many deaths and injuries due to automobile accidents happen among teenagers, as well as adolescents' own views as to what is most dangerous behind the wheel and how driver education could more effectively warn of these dangers.
Another study in Australia by researchers Walsh, White, Hyde, and Watson, indicated that most drivers realize the risks associated with the use of their cell phones, and despite Australian laws forbidding this behavior, still continue to use them. Experiments put in place measured almost eight hundred subjects' perception of risk, and planned behavior related to cell phone use while driving. The results revealed that younger participants were far more likely to text message while driving, and since young drivers and businessmen are the most likely to be involved in traffic accidents, their cell phone use increases their chances even more. The article advocates a stronger sense of general disapproval to be motivation for people to put away their cell phones while driving; most drivers who perceived acceptance of their habits or judged the benefits of texting to outweigh the risk of crashing, were far more likely to use their phones while driving.
Paul Green, of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, suggests that drivers are easily distracted by phones and hand-held devices, which divert more attention from the road, and compel the driver in a much different way, than do other tasks, and that the use of such has contributed to more crashes Green analyzes the compulsions of the average person to answer a ringing phone and to complete a secondary task (such as texting) before refocusing on the primary task (driving), even though this multitasking habit greatly reduces concentration and safety of the driver and everyone else on the road. He concludes that a solution such as a workload manager is necessary to correct some of the danger from distracted driving, due to telephones and hand-held devices, on the road today.
The articles agreed that the use of text messaging, cell phones and hand-held devices impair the ability to drive. More research should be done in order to emphasize the growing problem of drivers' distraction. The safety of drivers themselves, as well as others on the road, is in greater jeopardy if the popularity of text messaging and hand-held devices continue to grow without restrictions and education against the habit.
Several articles address the issue of the dangers caused by people, especially teenagers, text messaging and using hand-held devices while driving. Lawrence T. Lam, in The Journal of Safety Research, explains that the huge proportion of injuries and deaths as a result of automobile accidents, and the problem of drivers' distraction with an emphasis on the effect of the age of the driver, are of growing concern. Lam reports that the chances of a traffic accident were six times as likely if a driver talks more than 50 minutes per month, and that the risk of such an accident was four times as likely when a cell phone was being used. In-vehicle distraction is a major cause of traffic accidents, especially among drivers in their early 20's using cell phones and among older drivers whose cognitive abilities are impaired already (Lam). These problems should be addressed either with new legislation or with better education and the spreading of awareness.
A study in Australia by researchers Walsh, White, Hyde, and Watson, indicated that most drivers realize the risks associated with the use of their cell phones, and despite Australian laws forbidding this behavior, continue to use them. Experiments put in place measured almost eight hundred subjects' perception of risk, and planned behavior related to cell phone use while driving. The results revealed that younger participants were far more likely to text message while driving, and since young drivers and businessmen are the most likely to be involved in traffic accidents, their cell phone use increases their chances even more (Walsh). The article advocates a stronger sense of general disapproval to be motivation for people to put away their cell phones while driving; most drivers who perceived acceptance of their habits or judged the benefits of texting to outweigh the risk of crashing, were far more likely to use their phones while driving.
The article from the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics argues that adolescents should be studied and better educated, because many young adults grasp concepts like the dangers of driving while drinking or while distracted, but few seemed able to properly discern what behaviors were most hazardous to their driving. Researchers investigated the problems by engaging 443 youths to write survey questions about what affects the safety of teen drivers, analyzing the different laws and demographics of certain states and areas, studying over five thousand high schoolers' responses, and narrowing the study down to a few classes per school for more specific questions (Ginsberg). Results showed that adolescents viewed driving under the influence of alcohol as the greatest danger, followed closely by text messaging or using a handheld device, which ranked more dangerous, according to students, than even racing, road rage, passenger distractions, loud music, speeding, inexperience, or not wearing seatbelts. Also, students with lower grades, students who didn't wear seatbelts, and students who drink regularly perceived many fewer options, including text messaging, as dangerous or affecting driver safety (Ginsberg). The group of pediatricians and researchers used the study to better understand why so many deaths and injuries due to automobile accidents happen among teenagers, as well as adolescents' own views as to what is most dangerous behind the wheel and how driver education could more effectively warn of these dangers.
Another study in Australia by researchers Walsh, White, Hyde, and Watson, indicated that most drivers realize the risks associated with the use of their cell phones, and despite Australian laws forbidding this behavior, still continue to use them. Experiments put in place measured almost eight hundred subjects' perception of risk, and planned behavior related to cell phone use while driving. The results revealed that younger participants were far more likely to text message while driving, and since young drivers and businessmen are the most likely to be involved in traffic accidents, their cell phone use increases their chances even more. The article advocates a stronger sense of general disapproval to be motivation for people to put away their cell phones while driving; most drivers who perceived acceptance of their habits or judged the benefits of texting to outweigh the risk of crashing, were far more likely to use their phones while driving.
Paul Green, of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, suggests that drivers are easily distracted by phones and hand-held devices, which divert more attention from the road, and compel the driver in a much different way, than do other tasks, and that the use of such has contributed to more crashes Green analyzes the compulsions of the average person to answer a ringing phone and to complete a secondary task (such as texting) before refocusing on the primary task (driving), even though this multitasking habit greatly reduces concentration and safety of the driver and everyone else on the road. He concludes that a solution such as a workload manager is necessary to correct some of the danger from distracted driving, due to telephones and hand-held devices, on the road today.
The articles agreed that the use of text messaging, cell phones and hand-held devices impair the ability to drive. More research should be done in order to emphasize the growing problem of drivers' distraction. The safety of drivers themselves, as well as others on the road, is in greater jeopardy if the popularity of text messaging and hand-held devices continue to grow without restrictions and education against the habit.
Tuesday, October 6
Survey...
Here's the most recent link to my survey...
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VuLyKPywzke6AmOpu5Azvw_3d_3d
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VuLyKPywzke6AmOpu5Azvw_3d_3d
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