Telecoms

Cell-phone Conversations Slow Down the Traffic

Now you know why you don't get at work on time

By Andreea Dihel, Mobile Editor

3rd of January 2008, 14:59 GMT

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Until now, it has been well known that talking on your cellphone while driving could get dangerous. A new survey shows that talking on your mobile while in traffic may cause some delays as well. That's pretty logical as the one who's driving has to focus his attention not only on the traffic, but on the conversation too.

"Conversation is a major distraction. That means hands-free cellphones

are no less dangerous while driving than handheld cellphones. Cellphones age us. When young adults are talking on cell phones while driving, their reactions times become as slow as reaction times for seniors. You're as dangerous as a drunk driver. Drivers talking on cell phones are as impaired as drivers with the 0.08 percent blood alcohol level that defines drunken driving in most states. Read 'Fatal Distraction: A comparison of the cell-phone driver and the drunk driver'."

"The new study, which is scheduled to be presented on Jan. 16 during the Transportation Research Board's annual meeting, showed that if just two or three people gum up the system by making fewer lane changes or driving more slowly, the cascading effects slow everybody's commute", said psychology professor Dave Strayer, from the University of Utah.

"Compared with un-distracted motorists, drivers on cell phones drove an average of 2 miles per hour slower and took 15 to 19 seconds longer to complete the 9.2 miles. This might seem insignificant, but it's likely to be compounded if 10 percent of all drivers are talking on wireless phones at the same time", added researcher Joel Cooper, a doctoral student in psychology.

Maybe these are not facts known by everybody, but the insurance companies know better, since the survey lead by them shows that 73 percent of the drivers have mobile conversations while being in traffic. Many countries have already made laws that ban the usage of a phone while driving. Could the handsfree be a solution? Not really, claim the researchers. But then again, David Strayer also stated a while ago, in 2003, that cellphone users were driving "blind", and again in 2005 that people drove like 70-year-old people while talking on their phones, to continue in 2006 his theory that the driver using a phone is as bad as a drunk one. So, what to believe?

TAGS:

traffic | cell | phone | mobile | conversation

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