Talking in the slow lane

Besides being a potential safety hazard, drivers who talk on cell phones may be contributing to the country’s traffic woes. According to a recent study by the University of Utah, cell phone users drive slower, pass less often, and take longer to get to their destination.

Compared to undistracted drivers, those who used cell phones drove an average of 2 mph slower. This may not seem like a lot of time, but can be significant when compounded by a recent study that suggests that ten percent of all drivers talk on cell phones.

The Utah study involved 36 psychology students. Each of them "drove" via a simulator through 9.2-mile-long highway scenarios: two each in low, medium, and high-density traffic. The participants were told to obey the 65 mph speed limit and use turn signals. They also used a cell phone during one drive at each level of traffic intensity.

In medium and high traffic, those who talked on cell phones were 21 percent and 19 percent respectively, less likely to change lanes. In low, medium, and high traffic situations, cell phone users spent 31 percent, 16 percent, and 12 percent more time following a slow moving vehicle than undistracted drivers. Those who didn’t use a cell phone got to their destination faster.

This study, though small, shows that cell-phone users can significantly reduce the flow of traffic by not changing lanes, and driving slower.

So, hang up and drive safe, for all our sakes'.

—Liza Barth

Comments

[CR subscriber]

Driving while talking would be less of a danger if more cars sold in North America had built-in telephony, such as Bluetooth, still a rarity in cars here, but not elsewhere in the world. Even if a driver were distracted while talking in a car fitted with Bluetooth, at least both hands could be on the steering wheel.

[autonews5]

Indeed the bluetooth technology can help , but i don't think we whould all use it .. Phones have the handsfree option for years but i don't think i ever saw someone use it in traffic .
Very rare cases where i actually see someone speaking through a wired or wireless handsfree ..

[Charles]

Phone use while driving should be illegal, like it is in Europe. When I saw someone talking, I would lean on the horn to "remind" them. It is illegal to use a cell while driving on US military bases.
I like the bumper sticker "Get off the d--- phone and drive!"
Don't do it, don't talk and drive and put other people at risk.

[CR subscriber]

According to the study, "Hands-free cell phones are no less dangerous while driving than hand-held cell phones because the conversation itself is the major distraction"

So, Bluetooth is of no help.

I think we need to get to the root cause of the problem. There are too much traffic these days, which cause people to talk on the phone. If one's drive to work is only say 10 minutes, the incentive to talk would be less. Highway speeds are too slow as well. If it were increased, I would think fewer people would talk on the phone, as they need to concentrate on the driving part.

[Phil Anderson]

Here in the UK there is a fair amount of research to suggest that frequent lane changes and faster driving contribute to a lower overall traffic flow rate. The individual lane weaver may or may not gain some advantage (it's marginal), but overall, everyone loses. Authorities are convinced enough that some of our motorways now electronically display a reduced speed limit and 'stay in lane' signs when traffic density nears the critical threshold.

In light of this, your mobile phone users may actually be helping the overall traffic flow by not weaving from lane to lane in an attempt to get ahead.

Unfortunately, the downside is that they do cause quite a lot more crashes through distraction and diving with one hand. Which is why it's already illegal over here unless you are hands-free, and some safety campaigners want to get rid of it altogether.

[Taryn]

As Phil suggested above, I'm also not convinced that driving slower and making fewer lane changes contributes to reduced overall flow. A more important question to answer in the research would have been, "Did the cell users get in the way of other traffic? Or did they stay to the slower lanes and avoid 'wedging' the following traffic?"

[taryn]

"Hands-free cell phones are no less dangerous while driving than hand-held cell phones because the conversation itself is the major distraction"

Do we suppose that conversations between drivers and passengers also contribute significantly to accident rates? I have to wonder why a phone conversation is so much more demanding of attention than a direct conversation with a passenger.

Some theories:
Having learned to drive, usually with a passenger/instructor offering constant comment, we're better at splitting our attention between the road and a passenger than the road and a phone?

Passengers, also observing the road, are often helpful copilots, perhaps deferring conversation when the traffic is especially demanding and drawing our attention to threats? The counterexamples, having children in the car increases risk and teenage drivers have more accidents with teenage passengers present, both seem to support this theory. And of course, lots of adults are not 'helpful copilots'

So, why are phone conversations so distracting?