Sick of traffic congestion? Well, part of the blame needs to go to motorists who talk on mobile phones. At least, that is the conclusion of a study conducted by the University of Utah. Researchers found that the basic problem is that people talking on their mobile phones slow everybody else down.
The study found that if you use your mobile phone while driving, it takes you longer to get to your destination, and you are less likely to pass slower vehicles. The study supplements previous research, which says that talking on the mobile phone while driving is dangerous. If you think the study is not talking about you, because you have a hands-free device, then you’d be wrong. According to previous studies performed by psychology Professor Dave Strayer of the University of Utah, the ultimate distraction for drivers is the conversation–not just holding the mobile phone.
Many states already have laws on the books that mandate hands-free devices to use a mobile phone while driving. Will the next big initiative be to kill a driver’s ability to make any mobile phone calls even with a hands-free device? I think that’s highly unlikely, considering that many new vehicles are incorporating Bluetooth compatible hands-free devices into their design. Also, think about it. If the conversation is the distraction, then I suppose you shouldn’t talk to anyone in your vehicle, since that would be just as distracting. My advice is that researchers should concentrate less on mobile phone users and more on drivers who attempt to put on their makeup or eat fajitas while traveling 75mph. My bet is that these two activities are even more distracting then cell phones, and I don’t see any push for new laws to prevent these activities while driving. Read more from the ScienceDaily article.
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