Cellular phone use and future teenage drivers

Cellular telephone use has become commonplace in the American culture. As of December 2002, approximately 137 million cellular telephone numbers were activated. Oftentimes, Americans are using cellular phones in their vehicles. The resulting effects of cellular telephone use and driving have resulted in automobile crashes, injuries, and ultimately deaths. This problem is urgent and necessitates immediate action. Literature is sparse on the effects of an educational intervention to encourage beginner drivers to abstain from cellular telephone use while driving.; Six drivers' education classes participated in the study. Two classes each were randomly assigned to a control group: (a) an augmented educational curriculum group receiving extra classroom instruction regarding cellular phone use while driving and (b) an augmented curriculum group plus simulated driving experience group receiving the classroom instruction plus simulated driving with and without cellular phones. Each group was administered a pretest and a posttest created using the theory of planned behavior. The classroom intervention was geared at changing the students' intentions to abstain from cellular phone use while driving. On the posttest, students receiving the interventions had a greater attitude toward the behavior to abstain from using cellular phones while driving. They also felt as though their power over the behavior to abstain from cellular phone use while driving increased. Furthermore, the ratio was calculated for students driving on a simulator without a cell phone and then with a cell phone. The mean increase in error was more than eightfold. Health educators should assume a stronger role in the promotion of safe driving.