14 DAY TRIAL // That's what researchers from the University of Utah came up with after analyzing people's reactions while talking and driving. And using a hands-free kit doesn't do much good because any activity which requires a driver to pay attention to an ongoing conversation will impair the driver's abilities.
All participants were asked to drive between four and ten miles of freeway, all on a simulator. They talked with a researcher via a handsfree for half of the trip and maintained a concentrated silence for the other half. Yakking on the phone caused 18 per cent slower in braking, had a 12 per cent greater following distance and took 17 per cent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked. These results are very much alike those of senior citizens, obviously not talking on the phone, whose driving abilities are not what they used to be.
Maybe a similar test could be useful, only centering navigational skills of those drivers suing GPS systems mounted on their cars. If talking on the phone, even using a hands free kit diminishes drivers abilities at the wheel, what about following directions on a screen which is very often "blinded" by the sun reflecting on it, while paying attention to the road and traffic around you. Since installing LCD screens is the hip thing to do and maybe working your built-in PlayStation to death or browsing your iPod's music library. Maybe pulling over and using any of these devices is the best thing to do after all.