Michael Santo of RealTechNews writes:

You may recall my earlier story about a proposed complete cell phone ban in Lawrence, Kansas. Well, strengthening that proposal, a study by the University of Utah has determined that people who use cell phones while driving, even with a hands-free setup, are as impaired as drivers who are intoxicated.

They studied 40 volunteers who used a driving simulator four times - while undistracted, using a handheld cell phone, using a hands-free cell phone and while intoxicated to a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level - the average legal level of impairment in the United States - after drinking vodka and orange juice.

Motorists who talked on either handheld or hands-free cell phones drove slightly more slowly, were 9 percent slower to hit the brakes, and varied their speed more than undistracted drivers. Drivers with an 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level drove a bit more slowly than both undistracted drivers and telephone users, yet more aggressively. [Source: Reuters]

We Say: Based on my own non-scientific study (meaning, while driving), those that I’ve seen driving while gabbing are indeed distracted, tend to drive more unsteadily… and yes, this includes me, even though I use a Bluetooth headset and voice command all the time. Most of those I see are using regular phones, however, and they are a lot more distracted than I am. It was interesting that the only people to get into accidents during the simulation were using cell phones. Personally, I think most states will eventually pass laws prohibiting driving without a hands-free setup of some type (including my state, California, which is moving closer to passage of a bill).

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