{"216001":{"#nid":"216001","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Distracted Drivers: Your Habits Are to Blame","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMore than a decade of research has shown that using a handheld or hands-free phone while driving is not safe because the brain does not have enough mental capacity to safely perform both tasks at once.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have fallen short of explaining why drivers are so easily distracted until now. In two peer-reviewed academic journals, Georgia Tech Assistant Professor Robert Rosenberger explains that, because people talk on the phone on a regular basis, they have developed learned habits that take over their awareness, sometimes entirely.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy habit, a driver\u2019s overall awareness is overtaken by the content of the phone conversation and not the demands of driving,\u201d said Rosenberger, a researcher in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Public Policy. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t even matter if the person\u2019s intent to focus on driving is stronger than the willingness to talk on the phone. Sooner or later, the phone-associated habits will subtly tug the awareness away from the road.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERosenberger\u2019s alternative interpretation of the scientists\u2019 data is built from a philosophical perspective called phenomenology, or the study of consciousness.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen a person talks or texts on a phone, they go into a zone and everything around them seems to fall into the background of awareness,\u201d he adds. \u201cFor instance, you no longer hear the TV that you were watching seconds before the phone rang. Walls and adjacent objects seem to disappear. The only thing you concentrate on is the other person\u2019s voice.\u201d Because texting is a two-way conversation, Rosenberger says the same theory applies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, having a conversation with a passenger in the car is different. Studies show that driver distraction isn\u2019t as great because passengers are active participants in the driving experience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor instance, if two people are talking in a car and an ambulance approaches, they tend to stop speaking and look for the sirens,\u201d he says. \u201cA person on the other end of the phone typically continues to speak because they aren\u2019t aware of the changing situation.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith new technology in the car dashboard becoming increasingly popular, Rosenberger is concerned that these features are giving drivers a false sense of security. Voice-controlled texting and dashboard apps are designed to keep a driver\u2019s hands and eyes away from a phone, but the greater risk of distraction remains, he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPeople who see and use these new technologies may think, \u2018Now I don\u2019t have to look at my phone. And the technology is built right into the car, so it must be safe,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cBut, just like state laws that prohibit handheld phone use and mandate hands-free use, they don\u2019t actually eliminate the distraction. In fact, one could argue that they encourage continued distractions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERosenberger insists that lawmakers should keep pace with regulating the use of this technology and society must be mindful as new legislation is created and implemented in order to address technological advances. He urges computer scientists and engineers to develop more options for drivers to preprogram different automated responses tailored to incoming calls, such as alerting callers that they\u2019re behind the wheel and unavailable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe smart choice for our own safety, and for the safety of pedestrians and other drivers, is to refrain from using communications technologies \u2013 even hands-free alternatives \u0026shy;\u2013 while behind the wheel,\u201d he stated. \u201cMy suggestion: Use your drive time to unplug from the digital world.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis theories are outlined in the April issues of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cacm.acm.org\/magazines\/2013\/4\u0022\u003ECommunications of the ACM\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ieeexplore.ieee.org\/xpl\/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=6479423\u0026amp;punumber=44\u0022\u003EIEEE Technology \u0026amp; Society Magazine\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn two peer-reviewed academic journals, Georgia Tech Assistant Professor Robert Rosenberger explains that, because people talk on the phone on a regular basis, they have developed learned habits that take over their awareness while driving, sometimes entirely.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New theory explains why people are easily distracted while using a phone in the car."}],"uid":"27560","created_gmt":"2013-06-03 09:08:13","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:20","author":"Jason Maderer","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-06-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-06-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"135881":{"id":"135881","type":"image","title":"Robert Rosenberger","body":null,"created":"1449178685","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:05","changed":"1539024831","gmt_changed":"2018-10-08 18:53:51","alt":"Dr. Robert Rosenberger","file":{"fid":"194805","name":"rosenberger.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rosenberger_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rosenberger_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":48858,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/rosenberger_0.jpg?itok=lyAQaRPb"}}},"media_ids":["135881"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/cacm.acm.org\/magazines\/2013\/4\/162505-the-problem-with-hands-free-dashboard-cellphones\/fulltext","title":"Communications of the ACM article"},{"url":"http:\/\/ieeexplore.ieee.org\/xpl\/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=6479451\u0026sortType%3Dasc_p_Sequence%26filter%3DAND%28p_IS_Number%3A6479423%29","title":"IEEE Technology \u0026 Society Magazine"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"67431","name":"Distraction"},{"id":"1616","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"36251","name":"robert rosenberger"},{"id":"67421","name":"Texting and driving"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Maderer\u003Cbr \/\u003EMedia Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:maderer@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emaderer@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maderer@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}