He was cruising at a steady 140 on the highway when the mobile phone rang. It was his wife. Would he like a beef casserole or roast chicken for dinner?
Hmmm, the beef sounded good but he was in the mood for chicken. Honey, he said, you know the last time we had roast chicken, the skin was a bit .... No, it was not, the wife cut in. Yes it was, he teased. So it went on, but not for long really; just a few minutes. Or was that less than a minute?
He would never know. Because that was the last she heard of him teasing her. The rest was simply too awful to remember.
Often, she wondered if she should have simply made the chicken and left it at that.
***
The little time it takes for one's concentration to waver while driving and talking into a mobile phone – and of its potentially tragic consequences – has triggered a new awareness all over the world of the danger of driving while using a mobile phone. It has spawned reams of research, and, as can be expected, a fair amount of activism from families affected by the deaths of loved ones in crashes involving drivers using mobile phones.
In 2001, at a hearing held in Washington DC by the Sub-Committee on Highways and Transit, Patricia Pena, founder of Advocates of Cellphone Safety, spoke on behalf of families who had lost loved ones in mobile phone-related accidents.
Pena was motivated to form the group after her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Morgan Lee died in a car accident caused by a driver (according to police reports) who was using a mobile phone and ran a stop sign at 40 mph.
Don't let your mind wander
You could argue that there are other distractions while driving – a conversation with a co-passenger, listening to the radio, listening to an audiobook (because more and more people now believe in getting value for their time while commuting), eating, drinking hot beverages like coffee and tea that pose a risk of spilling, applying make-up and shaving (that too). So why blame it all on the mobile phone?
Because while it is easier to not respond or indulge in any or all of the above activities while driving, it's nearly impossible to not respond to a ringing mobile phone. At least that's the way we have wired ourselves these days. Call it reflex action, an insatiable curiosity (who's calling?) or just a love for the gadget, a ringing mobile phone is far too tempting to pass up (unless it's a person you want to avoid. But that's another matter altogether).
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Interestingly, the University of Perth (as reported on www.bmj.com), conducted a case-crossover study that involved 456 drivers aged 17 and older who owned or used mobiles and had been involved in car crashes that required medical attention. The study concluded that the drivers who used mobile phones up to 10 minutes before a crash were four times more likely to have increased their chances of a crash. And that the risk remained the same whether or not a hands-free kit was in use at the time of driving.
Before hand-held mobile phone users wag their fingers with a ‘I told you so' smirk and question the hoopla about hands-free mobile usage, it is important to know that most developed, and many developing, countries have made hands-free mobile usage mandatory.
For the record Japan (as reported on the website www.house.gov/transportation/ highway), the cradle of mobiles phones, has banned them, hand-held or otherwise, while driving. The result, according to their National Police Agency, was a decrease of ‘75 per cent in the number of fatalities or injuries caused by drivers using cellular phones in just the first month following enactment of the legislation'.
Some global corporates, such as British Petroleum, have made the credo of ‘Ignition on, mobiles off' a high priority and expect their employees to implement this rule very seriously. The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is proposing to pass a bill outlawing hand-held mobile phones while driving.
Meanwhile Brigadier Mohammad Saeed Al Marri, Deputy Director, General Department of Community Services, Dubai Police, has gone all out with his plans to create awareness among the community of the risks of hand-held mobile phones while driving. In the recently carried out Road Safety Campaign under the aegis of the RTA and in association with the International Association of Human Values, Middle East (IAHV), ‘speed kills' was the main thrust.
However, all the people Friday spoke to – Brigadier Al Marri, four Dubai-based drivers and Prabhakar Rao, COO of IAHV – believe that as mobile phone technology is here to stay, we must adopt safe driving practices, but more important, strap in the right safety attitude along with our seatbelts.
‘Any distraction will lead to a crash'
Dr Milan Urbansky, neurosurgeon at the Neuro Spinal Hospital, Dubai, couldn''t agree more. He explains: “We have not conducted any research into the correlation of mobile phone use and the risk of car accidents; I would simply say that from my personal point of view, any distraction that causes even a momentary lapse of attention will lead to a crash.
“It has happened to someone I know very well. He reached down to pick up his mobile when it rang and in that fraction of a moment, the car climbed up the pavement and hit a pole. The crash led to serious injuries and he was in hospital care for a long time. Would I then say that people must not ever use a mobile phone when driving?
No, that is just not practical. For example, I am on call during my duty hours and am expected to answer calls whether I am driving or not, as it may be an emergency. Even so I have the choice of perhaps getting out of tricky traffic situations and then taking the call. As for having a phone conversation with someone because you are bored or sleepy, please avoid this or you may end up making things not exciting but ‘adventurous'. And trust me, nobody needs that kind of misadventure. Simply park in a safe place and have a short nap.''
A question of being comfortable
Hala Al Hadad, account manager at a public relations agency in Dubai Media City, has been driving for the last five years in Dubai and confesses that she is quite a pro at using a hand-held mobile phone while driving. Fortunately, she has been accident-free. Her daily run is from her residence in Rigga Street to Media City, a commute that takes her about three hours, including time spent meeting with clients.
In addition, she drops off her five-year-old daughter (Zaina) to school on her way to work. She reaches home by 7 pm and on an average day her bedtime is 10 pm. “I spend as many waking hours at home with my family as I do on the road driving.
Often times, I take client calls during the drive from work because it may be a journalist who needs some information to meet his deadline. Being in the service industry, we are duty-bound to be available to our clients when they have an enquiry. Sometimes I feel the need to catch up with my friends, some of whom I don't meet for about three months at a stretch.
“But more important, I need to talk to my daughter and sort out her problems before I reach home. For example, I will ask about her day at school, what homework she has, how she has progressed with it, answer her doubts, check on her daily routine of games, eating, etc, scold her for any mischief she has been up to ... So by the time I get home we can then spend quality time doing other things.''
Considering how much she talks on her mobile, is it not prudent to use a hands-free device while driving? “When I started driving, I seriously tried using both Bluetooth and headphones. But as I wear a headscarf, I am not comfortable with either of these devices.''
For her, the car is the best place to solve all problems. Driving becomes second nature after a while and even while you are keeping your eyes on the road, it is easy to use a part of your brain to think about something else, she adds.
“Let me make it clear that I am a good driver,'' she says, “and I have always been good at multitasking. I can eat, talk to passengers in the car and focus on the road.'' But then she knows where to draw the line – she follows certain self-imposed rules as well. She never talks on the mobile when she is driving in unfamiliar places, where she does not know where or how the traffic is, or is in the middle of fast traffic even on familiar roads. She dislikes listening to the radio, preferring to talk on the phone instead.
“According to me it's just utilising time,'' she says. “However, I would not advise other drivers to follow my example of talking on cellphones while driving. It is easy to lose concentration if you are talking romance, or having an argument. In the end, I realise that we all reach home safe thanks to Providence.
“I doubt if it would be possible to totally ban talking on mobile phones while driving. We would then all need drivers to drive us around. Perhaps this may be feasible after the metro railway system becomes functional. But yes, if the police see someone driving recklessly and talking on the mobile phone, they could penalise them. I do believe that police are in fact doing this already. I would say speed kills and so I never drive fast.''
***
Eva Carola Muths, marketing manager with Royal Jet, has been in Dubai for 18 years. Although she works in Abu Dhabi, she lives in Jebel Ali, one reason being that she takes almost the same amount of time to get to her office as does someone living in the heart of Abu Dhabi. So for the past three-and-a-half years, she has been driving comfortably every day in a stress-free environment. “It is when I hit Shaikh Zayed Road that I get a lot more aggression than I do on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway,'' she explains.
Yes, she is comfortable using the hand-held mobile phone while driving on the highway. “I have been accident-free all these many years that I've been driving and the hands-free just doesn't work for me. I think of myself as a responsible driver unlike others who may or may not be using hands-free mobile phones but do not follow driving rules, such as using indicators while changing lanes or jumping signals and putting other people on the road at risk. If someone doesn't use the hands-free mobile kit, it doesn't mean he is an irresponsible driver.
“We should look at the safety aspect on a case-by-case basis. To a certain extent I agree with the fact that talking on the phone brings down your level of concentration. But it is not so much talking as taking your eyes off the road to answer the call, dial a number or punch in a text message, that literally distracts you from your focus on the road.
“Anyway, eating and drinking while driving can be just as dangerous. Are we going to outlaw that too? Obviously not as that is a restriction on my freedom as an individual and I don't accept that. I would much rather the traffic police penalise offenders who speed and jump lanes. I used to believe that switching on your indicator lights while changing lanes would signal to co-drivers that they should make some space for me and that it is a reciprocal right of all drivers.
“But not any more. Because when I drive down the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway, I find that the longer I can keep my lane changing intent a secret, the better my chances of actually being able to do it.
“Because when I announce my intent (using my indicators) I will surely encounter a few aggressive guys who will go out of their [way] to make sure that they block my way. Now how's that as a road safety risk?''
A lesser hazard
Eva says she has seen drivers read a newspaper, (women) apply make-up and men shave on her daily commute. Talking on her mobile phone seems to be a lesser risk, she says. “By all means pull up offenders who violate safety rules while talking on the phone but if they are driving safe let them be. There are worse offences to tackle on the UAE roads."
This career girl takes work-related calls on her mobile phone even while driving. “When I hit Dubai and I have to cope with driving without courtesy and all the road aggression, I stop taking calls because I need to fully concentrate on the traffic. Or if it's an important call I will say, ‘Can I call you back, I'm in the middle of busy traffic'? I'm in the service industry. I do not have the liberty of refusing to answer calls.
“Listening to soothing music can also be helpful. I usually use the first and second lanes because I find that people in the third lane are those who stay there regardless of speed and driving in [the] fourth lane usually gives me a heart attack. I strongly believe that it is not a person's driving skills but road attitude that needs to be tested from time to time. With close to 170 nationalities driving on the UAE roads, there are bound to be cultural differences in perception of road safety. But since when has courtesy become a victim of cultural differences? I think a driving licence should be given on the basis of your attitude, not just your skills. Only then will we have safe drivers.''
‘Let's make a beginning'
Prabhakar Rao, COO, International Association of Human Values (IAHV), Middle East, believes that hand-held mobile usage is not advisable. To this end, his organisation supported the Dubai RTA drive for road safety by putting up booths at various places to demonstrate the various options that drivers had in terms of hands-free mobile kits, Bluetooth, etc. However, he agrees that this is not the only way to combat the issue of rash driving.
“There is some amount of truth in that even if governments ban talking on the mobile, how will they ban distracted thoughts or unfocused driving? Because in the end, this is the root cause of all accidents.''
British Petroleum, for example, has an 'Ignition on, mobile off' diktat for all its employees, says Rao. “Obviously, coming from the oilfield sector, their standards of safety enforcement are very high.''
Let's make a start with making hands-free mobile usage compulsory, he suggests.
“Historically, when car radios were first introduced, people made a hue and cry about these posing a road risk,'' says Rao.
“But now we know that they do not significantly affect the safety risk as was feared. I agree with people who argue that it is not about talking or not talking on the mobile phone that matters but the [mental] space that you inhabit. For example, if you are stressed about a situation at the workplace or at home, it is going to dominate your thinking even when you are seemingly concentrating on driving. As in anything you do, going by the book does not necessarily ensure you do not make mistakes.
But given the choice, I would say it is better to have two hands on the wheel than one. That is why I vote for making hands-free mobile usage compulsory. Technology is here to stay, so we should look at better ways to integrate it with our lifestyle without compromising our safety.
“If drivers are talking on the mobile phone because they fear they will fall asleep while driving, it is better to take a nap and get over the sleepy phase. All the talk in the world can only delay sleepiness, it can't make it go away.
“A momentary lapse of concentration is all it takes to cause an accident. If you speak to professional drivers this is what they will tell you – sleep will eventually catch up.''
