Hands-Free Phones Not As Safe As You May Think
Hands-Free Phones Not As Safe As You May ThinkIt seems like everywhere you turn these days, you see drivers chatting away seemingly to no one at all. Of course, by now we usually assume they're talking to someone on their hands-free cell phone headset or their built-in OnStar phone.
Although many drivers believe they're safer using these hands-free options, recent research proves otherwise. A new study shows that drivers are no safer talking on a hands-free phone than if they were using a hand-held one.
Look mom, no hands!
The new study, conducted by Yoko Ishigami, Dalhousie University and Raymond Klein, appeared in the National Safety Council's (NSC) Journal of Safety Research this summer. The study shows that any type of cell phone use distracts the driver from focusing on the road. The human brain simply can't focus on the conversation and safe driving at the same time.
The researchers discovered that hands-free phones are just as dangerous for drivers as hand-held phones. According to the study's findings, talking on any type of cell phone impairs a driver's reaction times and causes them to reduce their vehicle speeds. This leads to more driving errors and car accidents.
Based on the study, there's at least one difference between drivers using hands-free phones and those using hand-held ones. While drivers talking on any type of cell phone tend to slow down, those using hand-held phones typically slow down more.
Don't talk and drive
This new study is not the only research that shows hands-free phones are no safer for drivers. Several other studies have made the same claim.
However, until now, many lawmakers obviously believed hands-free phones were safer. As a matter of fact, five U.S. states and Washington D.C. have passed laws requiring drivers to use hands-free phones instead of hand-held ones. But these new studies claim that it's the conversation-not the act of holding a cell phone-that causes drivers to lose focus.
It's clear that cell phones cause serious problems and lead to countless car accidents on our nation's roads and highways. According to some estimates, more than 636,000 car crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths are caused by distracted drivers talking on a cell phone in the U.S. each year.
In January 2009, the NSC called for a complete ban on cell phones for drivers. Other national organizations and lobbyists may follow suit.
In the meantime, drivers may want to take caution. Although no laws have officially been passed, you may want to refrain from taking calls or at least limit your cell phone use when you're behind the wheel. While avoiding cell phone calls when you're driving may be an inconvenience, it could end up saving your life in the long run.
Please call Khalid Umerani, Agent, NOVA Insurance Group (Chantilly, VA) to discuss your car insurance needs at tel: 703.263.7800. We are licensed to do business in Virginia, Maryland and DC.
www.south-riding-insurance.comwww.loudoun-insurance.comLabels: 20151 Car Insurance, 20152 Car Insurance, Hands Free Phones, South Riding car insurance
Men vs. Women Drivers
Men vs. Women Drivers: Does Gender Really Matter on the Road?
For years, insurance companies have regularly charged female drivers less for auto insurance coverage than males. Insurance companies claim it’s because women drivers statistically have fewer car crashes. However, no studies have actually proven that there is a difference between men and women’s driving abilities.
Looking at the stats
Over the past ten years or so, male fatalities have outnumbered female fatalities 2-to-1 in car accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Men also have a higher rate of collisions that result in just property damage—also a 2-to-1 ratio.
According to the American Insurance Association, men are involved in 50 percent more fatal crashes per 100 million miles driven than females. This divergence is most prominent in drivers in their late teens and early to mid-20’s.
Examining the male crash phenomena
No one can pinpoint exactly why men have more car crashes than women. Many researchers argue nature versus nurture theories. Some researchers blame natural male biochemicals—one study claims that high testosterone levels in men causes them to take more risks behind the wheel. On the other hand, some researchers say that men are products of their culture. These experts say society has taught males to act more competitively in general, which makes them more aggressive drivers on the road. Other studies point out that women are better multi-taskers, which makes them better drivers.
However, many people simply don’t buy into any of these studies. Skeptics say a person’s gender simply cannot predict whether or not they are a safe driver. The National Organization for Women’s Insurance Project points out that men simply have more crashes than women because they drive more miles each year. Because men are on the road more, they expose themselves to a more risk.
The gap narrows
Recent statistics show that the gap is narrowing between men and women crashes. Between 1975 and 2003, female fatalities in car accidents increased 14 percent, while male fatalities dropped by 11 percent.
Some experts say this is simply because women are on the road more these days. On top of that, an increasing number of women are becoming more aggressive on the road. If this trend continues, experts say insurance companies may soon stop taking gender into account as they calculate drivers’ insurance premiums.
A few states lead the way
Despite the latest research, insurance companies in most states continue to use gender as a factor in calculating premiums. Of course, insurers also take other things into account, including annual mileage, the type of car, the person’s previous driving record and even their Zip code (whether they live in the city, the suburbs or a rural area).
However, a handful of states, including California, Connecticut, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, no longer allow insurance companies to use gender as a factor to assess risk and calculate premiums.
Please call Khalid Umerani, Agent (NOVA Insurance Group) at 703-263-7800 to get competitive car insurance quotes, in the Washington DC metro area.
www.south-riding-insurance.comwww.loudoun-insurance.comLabels: 20152 Auto Insurance, 20152 Car Insurance, Auto Insurance in Chantilly / South Riding, Car Insurance in 20151
Using a Cell Phone While Driving Is Similar to Driving Under the Influence
Using a Cell Phone While Driving Is Similar to Driving Under the Influence
A 2005 study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers who use cell phones while driving were four times more likely to get involved in an accident. It also concluded that accident risk wasn’t affected by whether the driver was using a hand-held phone or a hands-free phone. Reference cell-phone restrictions, in Virginia (including Loudoun county - South Riding 20152, Stone Ridge / Aldie 20105 and Ashburn / Brambleton 20148; and Fairfax county - Chantilly 20151), there is currently no hand-held ban, except drivers younger than 18, and school bus drivers.
www.south-riding-insurance.comNew research from Carnegie Mellon University shows that just listening on a cell phone while driving is enough to distract a driver. In this study, 29 volunteers used a driving simulator while inside an MRI brain scanner. They steered a car along a virtual winding road, driving at a high, fixed rate of speed. They were tested while driving undisturbed, and while driving and trying to decide whether a sentence they heard was true or false. The researchers measured activity in 20,000 brain locations, each about the size of a peppercorn.
After a thorough analysis of the data, the researchers were able to conclude that:
When the drivers were tested while listening to the sentence to see if it was true or false, they lost 37 percent of the normal activity of their brain’s parietal lobe. This is significant because this area of the brain is the one motorists rely on the most when driving. The parietal lobe assimilates all the information the body receives from the senses, and uses it to determine how near/far perceived objects are. There was also a decrease in the activity of the occipital lobe, which assimilates visual information.
When the drivers were tested while listening, they lost their ability to control the car. They not only were unable to stay in their lane, but they frequently hit objects such as guardrails. These are the kinds of driving errors most closely associated with motorists who drive while under the influence of alcohol.
www.loudoun-insurance.comLabels: 20151 Auto Insurance, 20151 Car Insurance, 20152 Auto Insurance, 20152 Car Insurance, Chantilly Auto Insurance, Chantilly Car Insurance
