Green Harbor Publications: Research

Green Harbor Publications

Green Harbor Publications Research

Green Harbor Publications occasionally conducts research projects. Here are some examples:

Spam E-Mail Received in a Week on a Web Site (click here for a PDF presentation of the results)
Annual Beer Consumption by a 53-Year-Old Male (click here for a PDF presentation of the results)
Vehicular Cell Phone Use on Libbey Industrial Parkway (click here for a PDF presentation of the results)

A Commentary on Cell Phone Use and Driving
By Jim Hamilton, Green Harbor Publications

Have you ever wondered how many drivers are talking on their cell phones? Have you ever counted? I have. I frequently take a walk at lunchtime. About a year ago I began counting cars as they went by and noting the number of drivers who I could see talking on a cell phone. Over a period of about ten months and 47 walks I counted a total of 2,942 cars. I counted every motorized vehicle that went by, including ones like motorcycles and 18-wheelers that were unlikely to have cell-phone-using drivers. I only registered a cell-phone user when I could clearly see the phone. There may have been some drivers using hands-free systems or ear pieces but it is very hard to tell when a car passes you at 35 to 50 miles per hour. Some people rest their heads on their fists in a pose that looks like they are talking on a cell phone. I didn’t count that. Nor did I count the people who appeared to be fiddling with their radios, though they may have been texting on their cell phones. I didn’t count passengers talking on their phones, only drivers. The result was surprising, but before I tell you the answer, I want you to take a guess of what you think the result was. What was the percent of cell-phone-using drivers? Okay now, pause before reading further and take a guess.

I’ve conducted this exercise with a number of people and I’ve noted a pattern. I suspect that your guess will be higher than what I tell you I discovered in those lunchtime walks. My theory is that cell-phone using drivers are of such an annoyance to people that they tend to think there are more of them than there actually are.

I counted about 63 cars on a typical walk. There was always at least one cell-phone talker among them, and on one remarkable day there were nine. The average was 7.4% or about one out of every 13.6 cars that passed. Let me state this again for the purpose of clarity: Over a period of ten months starting in March of 2009 I recorded 217 cars with cell-phone-talking drivers out of a total of 2,942 motorized vehicles that passed me (a 7.4% rate).

You’re probably thinking that it can’t be true. The number must be higher. Not in my experience. And I bet if you took the time to count your number would be about the same. So what does this mean? Not much. All I have is one number for one road at lunchtime. Would it be comparable to other roads around the country? Who knows? Maybe you should try counting next time you take a walk.