HBHE students inform public about danger of cell phone use while driving
| September 26, 2011 | |
|
Graduate students from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education developed and presented a public talk at the Chapel Hill, N.C.,Town Hall on Sept. 12, describing their research about the dangers of cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle. Yael Filossof, doctoral student, and master’s students Brenda Buescher and Anne Cabell made the presentation to a business meeting of the Chapel Hill Town Council.
The students began their research during the 2010-2011 academic year in a class on health behavior theory taught by Kurt Ribisl, PhD, associate professor of health behavior and health education in the public health school. Other students who conducted the research and made the class presentation were master’s students Shira Goldman, Veronica Conti and Rebecca Woodruff.
The town council was considering a petition by town residents to ban cell phone use on town roads, and Ribisl thought the meeting would be a great opportunity for the students to put their research to good use.
“We made strong, evidence-based arguments for a ban against cell phone use while driving,” Filossof said. “We know that such a ban would not happen overnight, but we were pleased to be able to provide information that would start a conversation about it,” she said.
The town already has ordinances that ban cell phone use by school bus drivers and young drivers under age 18. Texting while driving also is illegal in Chapel Hill.
The students presented data showing that 73 percent of drivers use their cell phones while driving. Hands-free phone operation is about equally dangerous with holding the phone to one’s ear, since it is cognitive distraction, not holding the phone, which causes the safety problems. Cognitive distraction from cell phone use is the equivalent of driving while impaired, the students said.
“I was delighted to see the students make such a valuable contribution to the policy debate on this important public health problem,” Ribisl said. “They showed evidence that the cell phone ban is effective and feasible; it is imperative that practitioners help policymakers advance policies that will advance the health of the public.”
Video of the entire town council meeting is available online. The embedded clip above shows the presentation by Filossof, Buscher and Cabell.
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu. |
|
