Study finds hands-free cell phone drivers are still impaired |
In July 2008 if you use a cell phone while behind the wheel in Washington State you could earn a $101 ticket. Using a hands-free cell phone like the service Onstar offers will remain legal but is this any safer? A recent study says no.
Listening while driving led to a "significant deterioration in driving accuracy," Just and his co-authors write in the latest issue of the journal Brain Research. The drivers hit the guardrail and veered out of the center of the lane more often while listening. In the listening situation, MRI brain scans found a 37% decrease in parietal lobe activity.
Back in February 2005 a study pegged cell phone use while driving the equivalent of having a blood alcohol level of 0.08. Curious if other studies have been done on listening to podcasts or other non-interactive content and compared to hands-free cell phone use? In that post comments MRN writes:
Some research was done on this issue at the MIT Media Lab in the late 90’s. We found that a conversation with another passenger in the car didn’t create quite the same problem as a phone conversation: passengers in the car naturally adjust the conversation’s pace to account for changes in driving conditions, while remote interlocutors are oblivious to critical moments where the driver’s attention needs to be focused on the road.
How about eating while driving? Adjusting songs or playlists on the iPod or other portable music device? There are lots of driving distractions. How about a single law which encompasses any driving distraction rather than specifically calling them out?
In the case of my wife and son being hit in the crosswalk, the woman hadn’t taken the time to clear her windshield of ice. My wife has gone through neck surgery and still has a lot of pain. To date and to our knowledge the woman who hit her wasn’t even ticketed. The police should have leveled criminal charges at this woman’s negligence.
GHSA.org compiled a list of U.S states and other countries cellphone laws including whether it is a primary or secondary enforcement. Here in WA, the no cell phone while driving law will only be enforced if there is another driving violation. How is your state?
I see people talking on phones all the time and will be curious to see how this changes in July, if at all. My guess? It won’t change behavior that much. Hope I’m wrong.
Also see: Americans more dependent on cellphones (USA TODAY)
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This is interesting. Did anyone see the mythbuster’s episode where they drove while intoxicated and also while on the phone? i think talking on the phone was just as bad. It was interesting though because they were performing word problems over the phone, so the real issue was the brain activity required, not so much the loss of a hand.
Comment by Goyin — March 10, 2008 @ 11:57 am PST
I think how much secondary activities distract a driver may be highly individual. For instance, how many people are really distracted by music on the radio (apart from Bohemian Rhapsody)? But I do agree that many are exceptionally bad drivers when talking on a cell phone. I’ve done it myself on rare occasions — guess I’ll need to hang that up.
No more captcha — hooray!
Comment by Sterling Camden — March 10, 2008 @ 1:12 pm PST
[…] Study finds hands-free cell phone drivers are still impaired TDavid hits on one of my pet peeves. Drivers with Cellphones to their ear. More worrying is “handsfree” doesn’t appear to solve the problem. (tags: handsfree mobile laws) […]
Pingback by links for 2008-03-11 | stuart henshall — March 11, 2008 @ 1:23 am PST
Recently I waited at a crosswalk and counted the cars passing with people talking on cell phones (not hands free) and it was like 3 or 4 out of 10 vehicles. I’ve also had people riding my bumper behind and looked in the mirror and seen them gabbing away on their cell phones. As I said above, I wonder if this will change in July 2008 with a $101 ticket looming.
As for the CAPTCHA Sterling, you have many more than four comments which is the trigger not to show you the challenge any longer, so you shouldn’t have been seeing that for a long time. Were you blocking the cookie or something possibly?
Comment by TDavid — March 11, 2008 @ 5:29 am PST
I might have cleaned out my cookies somewhere along the way.
Yeah, Goyin, it is the attention not the manual dexterity. Worst of all is when you have to take your eyes off the road to look at the buttons or your list of contacts.
Comment by Sterling Camden — March 11, 2008 @ 10:41 am PST
I see kids on bicycles talking on their cell phones– as if oblivious adults weren’t enough to worry about.
Comment by Vince Williams — March 11, 2008 @ 8:38 pm PST
Sorry to hear about your wife’s lingering problems. Sometimes I wonder what goes through other drivers’ alleged brains. This winter I was in Michigan during a very stormy, icy and snowy time. Many time I say cars and trucks with the snow and ice cleared only partially on the driver’s side. What are these people thinking.
Prayers for continued improvement for your wife.
Comment by Tammy — March 13, 2008 @ 9:40 pm PST
Thank you, Tammy
Comment by TDavid — March 14, 2008 @ 6:00 am PST
“Back in February 2005 a study pegged cell phone use while driving the equivalent of having a blood alcohol level of 0.08.” I always knew cell phone use was a major factor in losing concentration while driving but wow. Thats a statistic that should be broadcast to the people traveling the highways more often. I find that I still get distracted while using my blue tooth enabled headset, but I do feel like I’m safer by using it. I still try to wait and get to my destination before giving or receiving phone calls if at all possible.
Comment by Livewire — June 2, 2008 @ 11:31 pm PST
People who drive and talk on cellphones should have them nailed to their heads. Two birds with one stone, ya know?
Comment by Roger says... — October 30, 2008 @ 7:23 pm PST
I like the fact that you are thinking of the big picture here. I certainly have talk on the phone while driving, though I know that I should not be doing so. I agree, habits are going to be hard to change. Tell my wife that I cannot answer her call while I am driving and I will be on the couch.
I have always argued, while studies show plenty about using a cell phone and driving, there are plenty of other distractions as well. Why are they not part of the list? The other thing we have to look at is balance of convenience and safety. If we cared only about safety and throw convenience out the window, then we would all be wearing a helmet in the car, 5 point harness like they use in a race car and plexiglass instead of real glass windshields. Perhaps 25 miles per hour would be the max speed limit. Understand the point? The key is, where is that line drawn?
Comment by hoosierfriend — February 27, 2009 @ 10:08 am PST