Many distractions exist while driving. Use of cellular phones while driving is a top distraction. Most new vehicles are equipped with hands-free technology, leading drivers to believe that talking via bluetooth is safe. However, this is not the case. In fact, human factors research shows that our brains remain distracted from the task of driving for several minutes even after hanging up a call. According to the National Safety Council, the use of cell phones while driving causes approximately 26% of motor vehicle crashes.
Human factors research shows that cell phone usage while driving is associated with increased reaction time, decreased situational awareness, more impulsive responses, and shrinks a drivers search area. Further, drivers exhibit less attention to objects even when looking directly at them. Moreover, “Impairments associated with using a cell phone while driving can be as profound as those associated with driving while drunk”. Hands free (Bluetooth) cell phone use is no less distracting than hand-held. What makes cell phone usage particularly dangerous is that drivers do not appreciate that their abilities are impaired due to distraction. Drivers distracted due to the use of cellular phones have little or no input to allow them to appreciate the things they did not see, or the things they looked at and did not process adequately.
Human Factors Engineering (aka Ergonomics) is the science of work, derived from the Greek ergon (work) and nomos (laws) . Human Factors is a systems-oriented discipline which extends across all aspects of human activity, drawing on a number of scientific disciplines, including physiology, biomechanics, psychology, anthropometry, industrial hygiene, and kinesiology (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2000)
Physical ergonomics is concerned with human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteristics as they relate to physical activity.
Cognitive human factors is concerned with mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system.
Dr. John Lloyd attended Loughborough University in England, where he attained a BSc. with Honors in Ergonomics (1992) and Ph.D. in Ergonomics (2002). Loughborough University is considered a premier academic institute for the study of Ergonomics / Human Factors and is currently ranked #4 University in the UK, behind Oxford and Cambridge.
In addition, Dr. Lloyd has held the distinction of Board Certification since 1995 and is a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society as well as the American Society of Biomechanics.
Dr. Lloyd has been accepted by the courts in Florida and other states as an expert in Human Factors and has provided testimony on:
Perception Response Time (PRT)
Perception time
Reaction time
Response time
Lighting / Visual Acuity
Nighttime Recognition
Conspicuity of Pedestrians, Cyclists and Motorcyclists
Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, smoking, eating and drinking. I have even seen people putting on makeup and shaving their face while driving!
Texting is the most alarming driver distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds or more. At 40 miles per hour a car can travel the length of a football field in 5 seconds; at highway speeds, a vehicle can travel the length of almost two football fields in the same time.
Texting while driving and other cell-phone reading and writing activities are high-risk activities associated with motor vehicle collisions and mortality. In 2015 alone 3,450 people were killed on US roads. 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
There are three types of driver distractions – manual, visual and cognitive.
Manual distractions cause you to take your hands off the steering wheel
Visual distractions cause you to take your eyes off the road
Cognitive distractions interfere with your mental focus on driving
Texting involves all three of the above distractions and is therefore considered a high risk activity while driving.
