Germog --
Since the landmark study done by Redelmeier and Tibshirani, reported
in the New England Journal of Medicine in February, 1997, a great deal
of follow up research has been done on driving distractions and
safety. Redelmeier and Tibshirani used cell phone records of 699
drivers involved in non-fatal collisions to draw the conclusion that
using the phone while driving made the likelihood of an accident 4x
higher. The abstract of that report -- and an excellent article
clarifying some of the research issues are here:
New England Journal of Medicine
" Association between Cellular-Telephone Calls and Motor Vehicle
Collisions," (abstract, Feb. 13, 1997)
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/336/7/453
Canadian Medical Association Journal
"Car phones and car crashes: some popular misconceptions," (Redelmeier
& Tibshirani, May 29, 2001)
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/164/11/1581
THE AAA RESEARCH
==================
There have been at least 4 major studies done of what the impact of
distraction from other activities is on driver behavior and accidents.
Probably the most-relevant is an American Automobile Association
study, which specifically mentions smoking. The study, done by the
University of North Carolina of 284,000 drivers involved in accidents,
places smoking very low:
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
" The Role of Driver Distraction in Traffic Crashes," (May, 2001)
http://www.aaafoundation.org/projects/index.cfm?button=distraction
As you can see from the chart of specific distractions, the findings
are that drivers are more distracted by just about every activity --
including changing the radio station, passengers, and adjusting heat
or air conditioning.
The university used data from 1995 through 1999 and included 32,303 vehicles.
OTHER STUDIES
==============
The Virginia Tech Center for Transportation Research used videotape of
100 drivers for a year to study cell phone safety. This study, paid
for by the National Highway Transporation Safety Administration was
released to several publications but never made public. In it, Tom
Dingus, the center's director, says a preliminary review of the
results found "the biggest distracting agent was cellphones - much
higher than eating or grooming or tuning the radio."
The Associated Press
"Hands-free cellphones put industry, safety officials at odds," (July 19, 2004)
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,207~25997~2281813,00.html
A University of Montreal study, acknowledging the role of driver
distraction on accidents, estimates that an accident is 38% more
likely using a cell phone. The report doesn't treat smoking:
Transport Canada
"The Impact of Cognitive Distraction on Driver Visual Behaviour and
Visual Control," (Harbluk & Noy, February, 2002)
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp13889/pdf/tp13889es.pdf
Harvard University's Center for Risk Analysis did a study of cell
phone use, funded by AT&T Wireless, that covers few other issues.
Basically it calls for more research:
Harvard Center for Risk Analysis
"Cellphones and Driving: Weighing the Risks and Benefits," (July 2000)
http://www.hcra.harvard.edu/27020rip.pdf
And to close the topic of research, though your question appears to
ask about smoking of TOBACCO products, I might note that an English
cannabis legalization group uses multiple studies to argue that
marijuana smoking doesn't deteriorate driving skills:
Cannabis Campaigners Guide
"Driving and Cannabis"
http://www.ccguide.org.uk/driving.html
LEGISLATION
============
According to the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, at least 14 countries
have banned drivers from using cell phones: Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Chile, Finland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Portugal, Singapore, South Africa and Spain. Some, including the U.K.,
have exempted hands-free units from their bans.
New York state became the first one in the U.S. to ban the use of
handheld cell phones by drivers on Nov. 1, 2003, though 39 other
states are considering laws on use of cell phones while driving. As
of April 1, 2003, the use of a handheld phone while driving is
prohibited in Newfoundland.
Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
"Driving and Dialing," (June 3, 2004)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cellphones/
I could find no instances of laws prohibiting smoking, though the BBC
notes that activities eating, drinking (and smoking) could be covered
by general "reckless" or "careless" driving legislation:
BBC
"Drivers face mobile phone ban," (June 25, 2003)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3015610.stm
The Google search strategy of searching on the popular issue of cell
phones and driving turns up sources of much of the key research:
driving safety cell phones (note that 'driving safety cellphones'
yields a smaller set of different results)
driving safety smoking
"AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety" + smoking
" Virginia Tech Center for Transportation Research" + smoking
" Harvard Center for Risk Analysis" + smoking
" New England Journal of Medicine" + Redelmeier
smoking eating laws
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA |
