Cell Phones use in Vehicles - Are They a Safety Hazard?

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Countless Studies have been done in the past

decade and all have conclusively found that

talking on a cell phone while driving

increases the risk of an accident by as much

as 4 times. The increased risk is compared to

driving while impaired by alcohol.

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Cell PhonesCar Phones

Shoe Phones

Mobile Phones

Bat Phones

No matter what you call it, the issues are the same

There are times to have and need a phone and times when not to use them

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Positives of Cell Phones

Call for help with disabled vehicle

Call for help when lost

Call for help when

stuck

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Positives of Cell Phones

Call to 911 to report an accident

Call to police when in danger

Call if late for

appointment

Call to report aggressive

drivers

Call to report drunk drivers

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Negatives of Cell Phones

In-car distraction

Increased cases of non-

response

Increased response

time

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Hands Free Vs. Hand Held

• Believe it or not, “It is not the dexterity required to use a cell phone that causes the increased risk of a crash, but the drivers ability to allocate attention”

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Hands Free Vs. Hand Held

Put another way,

”It is not whether you have both hands on the wheel that matters, but rather whether you have all of your mind on the task at hand, that being Driving”

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Cell Phones Vs. Conversation with a Passenger

• A passenger can also see the high risk situations developing and stop the conversation.

• Conversations on cell phones tend to be more intense than face to face.

• While talking on the phone your mind tends to wander to the setting at the other end of the phone line.

1204/19/23

What’s Coming in 2001

• More and more countries have already instituted laws restricting the use of cell phones while driving ( e.g. Brazil, Israel, Switzerland, Malaysia, Singapore…)

• Lawyers are preying on accident victims and using verifiable cell phone use to prove a condition of negligence.

• New higher tech phones are adding many more features which will take the drivers mind even further away from driving.

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An Age Old Issue

• Age plays a major factor in the increased risk of using cell phones while driving.

• While on the phone, drivers over 50 years are 2-3 times more apt than younger drivers to not respond in time, if they respond at all, to dangerous situations.

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The Survey Says

• 81% of drivers believe that it is dangerous to use cell phones while driving.

• 61% of them admitted that they still do it.• 30% of them admitted to talking on the

phone frequently.

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Conclusions from the Studies

• All forms of cell phone usage lead to significant increases in non-response to highway situations and increases in response times.

• Complex intense conversations lead to the greatest increase in risk

• Business calls tend to be more intense than social calls.

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Conclusions from the Studies

• The distracting effect of cell phone usage among drivers over age 50 is two to three times as great as that of younger drivers

• Prior experience with cell phones appears to bear no relation to the distracting effect of cell phone use.

1704/19/23

Schlumberger Cell Phone Standard

• Schlumberger employees shall not initiate calls while driving irrespective of the type of phone.

• If a phone call is received while driving, the employee shall identify the caller, and terminate the call immediately. If a return call is required the driver shall pull over at the first available safe rest stop and then return the call.

1804/19/23

Testimonial• Last year a Schlumberger driver was traveling in heavy traffic on a

Louisiana highway when his phone rang. He asked one of his 4

passengers to answer it. Just seconds after the passenger answered,

the truck in front stopped sharply. The SLB driver immediately noticed a

vehicle approaching from the rear at a high rate of speed. The driver

was able to brake suddenly and swerve onto the shoulder just before

the following vehicle plowed into the back of the slowing truck. The

other vehicle and driver were in bad shape after the collision.

• If the SLB driver had taken the time to answer his phone he probably

would not have recognized the sudden dangers and may have been

seriously rear-ended, potentially injuring all four occupants

1904/19/23

Look Closely……….Can you spot the real dummy!

2004/19/23

Questions

• Does your company have a cell phone policy?

• If not, who will write one?• Independent of company policy what will

you choose to do in your personal life?• Will you honestly lead by example, not just

with your employees but more importantly with your loved ones?