Little-Acorn
Gold Member
One of the greatest farces put over on the public in recent years (aside from Social Security and Middle East ceasefires) has been the idea that hands-free cell phones were somehow safer when driving, than holding your cellphone in your hand while you drive and talk.
It's not what you do with your hands while phoning that causes distraction and accidents. It's what you do with your brain. And that's the same whether you're holding the cellphone in your hand or not.
But the fib let companies make zillions of bucks selling useless headsets and cellphone mounts to suckers, while convincing them that the dozens of cars stacking up behind them at 30 MPH in the fast lane were NOT their fault.
As I recall, other studies have shown that driving while talking on a phone produces the same impairment as driving while drunk.
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http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/15/060815161706.0xbugxlr.html
Driving while using 'hands-free' cell phone still dangerous: study
Aug 15 12:20 PM US/Eastern
Driving while chatting on a "hands-free" cellular phone is just as dangerous as driving while holding a mobile phone, according to a study conducted by the University of Utah.
Talking while driving -- even using a hands-free kit -- makes motorists four times more likely to have an accident, according to David Strayer, a University of Utah psychology professor who led the study, which tracked drivers' brain activity.
Strayer said chatting on a cell phone while driving cuts the brain's ability to operate a vehicle and process information about traffic by 50 percent.
The study asked 16 pairs of friends to "drive" using a highway-driving simulator while chatting on the phone. Meanwhile, electrodes measured the brain's activity and eye movements as a variety of situations cropped up -- from a car braking suddenly to a vehicle abruptly changing lanes and disrupting the flow of traffic, he told AFP.
In each instance, the brain's ability to react was cut in half.
It's not what you do with your hands while phoning that causes distraction and accidents. It's what you do with your brain. And that's the same whether you're holding the cellphone in your hand or not.
But the fib let companies make zillions of bucks selling useless headsets and cellphone mounts to suckers, while convincing them that the dozens of cars stacking up behind them at 30 MPH in the fast lane were NOT their fault.
As I recall, other studies have shown that driving while talking on a phone produces the same impairment as driving while drunk.
------------------------------
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/15/060815161706.0xbugxlr.html
Driving while using 'hands-free' cell phone still dangerous: study
Aug 15 12:20 PM US/Eastern
Driving while chatting on a "hands-free" cellular phone is just as dangerous as driving while holding a mobile phone, according to a study conducted by the University of Utah.
Talking while driving -- even using a hands-free kit -- makes motorists four times more likely to have an accident, according to David Strayer, a University of Utah psychology professor who led the study, which tracked drivers' brain activity.
Strayer said chatting on a cell phone while driving cuts the brain's ability to operate a vehicle and process information about traffic by 50 percent.
The study asked 16 pairs of friends to "drive" using a highway-driving simulator while chatting on the phone. Meanwhile, electrodes measured the brain's activity and eye movements as a variety of situations cropped up -- from a car braking suddenly to a vehicle abruptly changing lanes and disrupting the flow of traffic, he told AFP.
In each instance, the brain's ability to react was cut in half.
