Week 5 Assignment

This article was very interesting. I found it unbelievable when I read just how much driving while talking on the cell phone can be just as dangerous as driving drunk, maybe even worse. I personally will not really pick up cell phone while driving, but once in a while, i will pick it up, depending on who it is. But its kind of hard to stay foucused on driving while talking on the cell phone. From what I seen on the road, i always see people talking on cell phones while they are driving. Even though they made a law that if you can get a ticket if you are seen talking on cell phones people do it. I believe that is a good law made, because i believe driving while talking on the phone can be just as dangerous as driving drunk.

After reading this article state if the evidence presented by the author was based on fact or opinion.
After reading this article, I think that the evidence presented by the author was based on fact rather than opinion because the author uses different findings and events to get his point out.

What is the main idea of the article?
I believe the main idea of this article is that Driving while talking on a cellphone is just as dangerous as driving drunk.

According to the Utah study, how were the reactions of drunk drivers different from reactions of drivers using cell phones?
According to the Utah study, drivers who were talking on the phone had a reduced reaction time by 9% in terms of braking and 19% in terms of picking up speed after braking. Drivers with cell phones will dramatically slow down the overall flow of traffic. While on the other hand, drivers who were drunk (over 0.08%), tended to be more aggressive rather than more slower and sluggish than the people who were driving while talking on cell phones.

What signal words helped you locate your answers? Hint, there are 4.
The signal words that helped me locate my answers were in contrast, and, while, and in addition.

Why is the use of a hands-free cell phone while driving just as dangerous as the use of a handheld cell phone?
Well, having a hands free phone or a hand held phone is really no different. The real problem lies is the "conversation", as Drew stated. Drivers who are talking on the phone are really paying attention to the conversation itself and not on the road. "Drivers are not perceiving the driving environment", as Drew stated. While driving and talking on the phone, 50% og the visual information wasnt processed at all. This just increases the likelihood of an accident.

What position does the cell phone industry hold??
Well, the cell phone industry say that its not the "cell phones" fault in causing accidents, but its really the people's fault, as stated by John Wall, a vice president at the industry group, Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. He believes that drivers should be more educated on how to best handle all posible distractions when your behind the wheel. I kind of agree on him when he said its the people's fault on why accidents happen, because they were the ones that took the cellphone out in the first place and they knew the dangerous of what could happen when talking on cell phones. But yet, i disagree, becuase, it was really the cell phone fault that heightened the likelihood of an accident. I guess its both the people's fault and the cell phones fault, more of the people faults because they decided on using the phone in the first place.