Drivers on cell phones, ugh…

December 3, 2008

Drivers talking on cell phones have long argued that it isn’t any different from them having a conversation with a passenger.

Well, you can blow that argument to smithereens, at least according to researchers from the University of Utah.

In a new study, they contend that talking to passengers doesn’t come close to comparing to the dangers motorists put themselves in when they’re preoccupied with a caller.

Lead researcher DAVID STRAYER, speaking for the Utah group, says that drivers distracted by mobile phones tend to tailgate other motorists as well as miss exits more often than when there’s someone sitting beside them.

Young adults who gab away on phones also display the same reaction times as senior citizens, the study found, and they can act as impaired as drunk drivers.

Furthermore, Strayer and his team maintain that talking on hands-free devices is no safer than using hand-held phones.

In fact, having passengers along for the ride can benefit drivers because they act as another set of eyes when traffic conditions worsen and will tone down conversations as needed.

A person on the other end of a cell phone call has no idea what a driver might be experiencing unless told directly about it.

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