Smartphoning & Driving
Sebah Al-Ali
I guess it is safe to say that a lot of us are guilty of occasionally checking our smartphones while driving. Our smartphoning might be rare or accompanied with guilt, but most of our students are heavy users of their phones while driving and are not aware of how dangerous it could be. And, their use is not limited to texting or making phone calls.
Numbers are alarming!
A recent study done by AT&T reported alarming findings. Drivers are no longer “just” sending an urgent short text. Their smartphoning has extended to include a variety of attention-demanding activities:
According to the study, 70% of respondents say they engage in smartphone activities while driving. 61% say they text while driving and 33% say they send emails while driving.
In terms of social media, 27% of drivers enjoy checking Facebook while driving, while 14% check Instagram and Twitter, and 11% check Snapchat.
Other smart phone activities behind the wheel include internet browsing (28%), taking selfies (17%), and video chatting (10%).
While this study took place in the USA, I don’t think results would be less alarming in our region. In fact, as reported by Suraya Foundation (2007 estimates), the UAE has frighteningly reached a peak in number of deaths caused by road accidents, world wide, with “32 deaths per 100,000 [in the UAE] comparing to UK’s 4 deaths per 100,000.” Although this is a 2007 estimate, numbers aren’t very different now.
Resources
It is a serious matter, and with the reach we have in our classes, we can make a difference. A lot of skills can be addressed to discuss the topic. These are a few resources that you might find helpful to introduce this topic in class.
This video is compiled of actual teens barely escaping an accident because of a 3-second smartphone use!
Another video creatively required drivers to prove their ability to use a phone and drive at the same time.
These are a few websites that are dedicated for this problem with stats, facts, and more videos: (click on a picture to visit its link)
Class Activities
In addition to making our students aware of the dangers of using their phones as they drive, you can use this topic to enrich students’ vocabulary by teaching them driving and traffic vocabulary. You’d be surprised how much they don’t know! (link 1, link 2, link 3)
Some of these resources can also be used for speaking activities (discussions, presentations, or adobe voice videos). Students can discuss possible solutions for this problem. Different groups in your class can target different age group, to avoid repetition. They can also develop questionnaires and interview people around college about their use of phones while driving.
Similar ideas can be used for writing tasks: offer solutions, discuss possible reasons, suggest how to raise awareness, etc.
…and many other tasks. Students will easily be engaged because this topic is relevant to their context, and they probably know of somebody who’s been involved in such accidents.
Thanks Sebah! Great topic!