Using a hands-free device does not make things better and the researchers believe they know why -- passengers act as a second set of eyes, shutting up or sometimes even helping when they see the driver needs to make a maneuver. The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, adds to a growing body of evidence that mobile phones can make driving dangerous.WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - Mobile phone calls distract drivers far more than even the
chattiest passenger, causing drivers to follow too closely and miss
exits, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Using a hands-free device does not make things better and the
researchers believe they know why -- passengers act as a second set of
eyes, shutting up or sometimes even helping when they see the driver
needs to make a maneuver.
The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology:
Applied, adds to a growing body of evidence that mobile phones can make
driving dangerous.
Lee Strayer of the University of Utah and colleagues have found in a
series of experiments using driving simulators that hands-free mobile
phones are just as distracting as handheld models.
They have demonstrated that chatting on a cell phone can slow the
reaction times of young adult drivers to levels seen among senior
citizens, and shown that drivers using mobile telephones are as
impaired as drivers who are legally drunk.
For the latest study, also using a simulator, Strayer's team showed
that drivers using a hands-free device drifted out of their lanes and
missed exits more frequently than drivers talking to a passenger. They
tested 96 adults aged 18 to 49.
"The passenger adds a second set of eyes, and helps the driver
navigate and reminds them where to go," Strayer said in a statement.
"When you take a look at the data, it turns out that a driver
conversing with a passenger is not as impaired a driver talking on a
cell phone," he added.
Passengers also simplify conversation when driving conditions change, the researchers wrote.
"The difference between a cell phone conversation and passenger
conversation is due to the fact that the passenger is in the vehicle
and knows what the traffic conditions are like, and they help the
driver by reminding them of where to take an exit and pointing out
hazards," Strayer said.
Strayer's team has videos showing drivers missing exits while on
mobile phone headsets and showing that passengers interrupt
conversations to help drivers exit correctly at
www.psych.utah.edu/~strayer/cellphone.wmv and
www.psych.utah.edu/~strayer/passenger.wmv.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
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