22 Distracted Driving
Summer Johnson; Cody Berlin; and Joshua Altmann
Intro
Distracted driving caused more than 2,800 deaths in 2018, and this number only continues to rise. This chapter will explore the psychological problems attached to distracted driving, including things such as texting and driving, the effects that substances may have when used on the road, and the generational differences in attention span. Furthermore, these three topics will briefly dive into how the brain multitasks, our states of consciousness (more specifically, how they affect the way we drive), and lastly lifespan development.
Texting and Driving
The first issue that will be discussed in this chapter is the use of phones while behind the wheel. It’s general knowledge that texting and driving is very dangerous, hence why it’s illegal in forty-eight states. However, is there anything in Psychology that could describe why it is that we can’t text and drive simultaneously? In fact, there is. According to Frances Freidrich from the University of Utah, cognitive distractions cause a lack of awareness of what’s in front of us. There have also been studies using eye-tracking devices that have proven the fact that when we are texting while driving, this slows our reaction time and thus can cause many accidents. Although humans tend to be good multitaskers, our brains are not meant to be actively focused on more than one thing at once, so focusing more on one thing slows down how fast we can react while doing the other.
Substance Use While Driving
The next largest cause of distracted driving is drug and substance usage. How do these substances affect our driving? The most used drug taken before someone drives is alcohol. Alcohol is considered a depressant, which can cause sleep, motor disturbances, memory loss, and death. Another common drug that can easily impair driving is a hallucinogen like marijuana or LSD. These can cause perceptual changes either mild or intense depending on the type, strain, and method of ingestion. Stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamines (also known as meth) cause increased alertness, euphoria, agitation, paranoia, sometimes hallucinations, heightened sensitivity to physical stimulus, and death. Finally, opiates like opium, heroin, fentanyl, morphine, etc. can all cause pain relief, euphoria, sleepiness, and death. These effects are harmful to the user and those around them because they are less aware of their surroundings while driving. Peer pressure and parties are dangerous activities for young adults and specifically teenagers, and it is even more necessary for people to know the effects of these drugs as they grow up so they can learn to avoid them.
Generational Differences that Affect Driving
The last major topic discussed in this chapter is how generational differences may actually affect how we drive. When adults drive, they most likely have been driving for a while and don’t have to pay quite as much conscious attention