New Evidence of Impacts of Cell Phone Use on Driving Performance

Abstract

Mobile phone use when driving is widely considered to be a major cause of car accidents. This paper attempts to review the existing literature by focusing on three key issues: (a) Whether and how seriously does mobile phone use impair driving? (b) How and why does mobile phone use impair driving? (c) What should be done to best prevent from accident? The authors identified a total of 90 epidemiological studies, experimental studies, and observational studies that were published during 2007 to 2012. These most recent studies were systematically reviewed in three major categories, (a) the effect of using a mobile phone when driving on drivers’ performance in terms of information processing and vehicle control, (b) variables related to driving, such as characteristics of drivers and mobile phone types, and (c) context and content of conversation during driving. Both limitations of existing research and future research directions are discussed.