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Keep Your Ears on the Road, Say Researchers
July 28, 2008 09:42 AM
Cell-phone bans have drivers buying hands-free headsets so they can keep on talking in their cars, but hands-free phone conversations might not be any safer.
30-Second Summary
Psychologists have argued for years that a hands-free approach isn't the answer when it comes to cell phones and driving, Salon reports. New scientific experiments are backing up those claims.
"It's because your mind isn't the road," said University of Utah psychologist David Strayer, whose research has found driving while talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk.
Experiments conducted at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging showed that 40 percent of a driver's attention is drawn away from the road whether he or she is using a hands-free device or not.
Furthermore, drivers can't simply ignore the voice on the other end of the phone line when they need to pay more attention to driving. "It's insidious," said psychologist Marcel Just. "If you're in a tough driving situation, and someone talks to you, the processing of the language is going to start right away, whether you like it or not."
States restricting cell phone use while driving aren't outlawing talking on phones altogether, however. California and Washington recently joined New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., in banning hand-held cell phone use for all drivers. Other states have bans for specific drivers, such as teenagers and school bus drivers, or bans on text messaging.
All states allow for the use of headsets or other hands-free devices. California electronics stores reported a large jump in sales of hands-free cell phone devices leading up to the ban.
"It's because your mind isn't the road," said University of Utah psychologist David Strayer, whose research has found driving while talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk.
Experiments conducted at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging showed that 40 percent of a driver's attention is drawn away from the road whether he or she is using a hands-free device or not.
Furthermore, drivers can't simply ignore the voice on the other end of the phone line when they need to pay more attention to driving. "It's insidious," said psychologist Marcel Just. "If you're in a tough driving situation, and someone talks to you, the processing of the language is going to start right away, whether you like it or not."
States restricting cell phone use while driving aren't outlawing talking on phones altogether, however. California and Washington recently joined New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., in banning hand-held cell phone use for all drivers. Other states have bans for specific drivers, such as teenagers and school bus drivers, or bans on text messaging.
All states allow for the use of headsets or other hands-free devices. California electronics stores reported a large jump in sales of hands-free cell phone devices leading up to the ban.
Headline Link: 'Hang Up and Drive'
Experiments show that when the caller on the other end of the cell phone line starts chatting away, the activity in the part of the driver's brain that controls staying in the correct lane declines. "The impairments aren't because your hands aren't on the wheel. It's because your mind isn't the road," says psychologist David Strayer.
Source: Salon
Reaction: Californians buying headsets
In the days leading up to California’s ban, electronics stores in California were faced with a flood of customers buying headsets and other hands-free devices. “We were expecting an onslaught right around this time,” said Hosain Rahman, CEO of headset-maker Aliph. “Awareness of the legislation is making people look more at solutions.”
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Background: Cell phone driving laws
Authorities in California and Washington, which just passed new cell phone restrictions, stressed that drivers must obey the law or face fines. They encouraged drivers to buy hands-free devices. “When you’re driving you need to be driving,” said Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste. “We’d prefer that drivers didn’t talk on their cell phones at all. But if you must, please stay safe by using a headset or speaker phone.”
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
New York was the first state to outlaw cell phones on the road, in 2001. The ban allowed emergency use and hands-free devices.
Source: New York Daily News
Though most drivers are aware of the danger posed by cell phones, many feel that they have a right to use them. Louisiana Rep. Barbara Norton believes that driving while on a cell phone is part of the “American way.”
Source: findingDulcinea
Cellular-News has a chart showing cell phone driving laws in each U.S. state, as well as a host of countries worldwide.
Source: Cellular-News
Opinion & Analysis: Do bans make us safer?
Many lawmakers believe that using cell phones while driving increases risky driving because the driver has only one hand on the wheel. However, most studies on the issue find that act of speaking and listening on a phone is the true cause of risky driving because the brain cannot handle both tasks at once. “There are limits to how much we can multi-task,” says University of Utah psychologist David Strayer, “and that combination of cellphone and driving exceeds the limits.”
Source: Los Angeles Times
“So will Washington’s no-cell-while-driving law make us safer? Probably not, at least not by much,” writes Tracy Warner of the Wenatchee World. “Cell phones are just one distraction. Talking on a bluetooth headset is a distraction too, probably just as bad, but legal. Talking to a passenger is distracting. So is fiddling with the stereo, eating french fries, sipping a latté, reading a billboard, looking for addresses, telling the kids to pipe down, checking the GPS, etc.”
Source: Wenatchee World
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