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Mobile phones cause tunnel vision 
Wednesday, June 12 2002
by Matthew Clark


Researchers in New England claim that making mobile calls while driving can be a
distraction, even after the call has ended. 

After investigating the eye movements of automobile drivers, University of Rhode
Island (URI) researchers claimed earlier this week that talking on a mobile phone
can lead to a reduced field of view, or "tunnel vision," for drivers. What's
more, the university's research also found that the tunnel vision caused by
mobile phones "continues well after the conversation ends, perhaps because
drivers are still thinking about the conversation."



URI industrial engineering professor Manbir Sodhi and psychology professor Jerry
Cohen led the experiments using a head-mounted, eye-tracking device on volunteer
drivers. The two scientists asked drivers to perform cognitive tasks, such as
remembering a list of items, calculating in one's head, or using a mobile phone,
while testing alertness of the drivers with the headset. 



The conclusion of the testing showed that performing these tasks while driving
reduced alertness "considerably," the university said. "The debate
surrounding cell phone use in cars has been directed toward concerns over holding
the phone," said Sodhi. "Holding the phone isn't the main issue. Thinking
is."



Yet the two researchers do not advocate banning their use in automobiles, they
claim. Instead, they say discussion should focus on how to make mobile phone use
easy and safe for everyone inside and outside of the car.



"I believe higher levels of safety can be achieved by establishing cell-free
zones," Sodhi said, suggesting that that mobile phone use be prohibited on
roadways that require high levels of alertness, for instance in congested
traffic, in poor weather, and on winding roads. On flat, dry, open pavement
during light traffic conditions, Sodhi believes mobile phone use should be
permitted.



Other aspects of the research concluded that when drivers perform tasks that
require brief glances away from the roadway, like adjusting the radio,
wide-ranging eye-movement suggests a higher level of alertness than when speaking
on a mobile phone. The study also found that most drivers seldom glance away from
the road for more than about 1.6 seconds when doing such tasks. 



"People have a safety limit of how long their eyes can go off the road," Sodhi
said. "If a job takes the eyes more than about one-and-a-half seconds, it could
well be putting people in a hazardous situation." The two researchers are
planning additional eye-tracking studies this summer focusing exclusively on
mobile phone use.