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Cell Phone Use Contibutes to Highway Traffic, Study Finds

by Will Safer on January 4, 2008 at 08:47 AM

According to a study by the University of Utah's Traffic Lab, even using a hands-free cell phone while driving causes enough distraction to impede the flow of traffic.

As reported by Reuters, cell phone use while driving makes drivers less likely to respond to changes in speed by the cars ahead of them in a highway lane. The result is slower speeds overall, not just for the distracted, cell-phone using driver but also for those unlucky enough to be stuck behind him or her.

We already know that texting and driving is similar to driving drunk, so it's not a stretch to assume other distractions will impair progress, as well. Even though using a hands-free device (like a headset or ear piece) is supposed to solve most concerns about talking and driving at the same time, it seems any conversation is impairment enough.

But not all in-car technology is bad. Toyota and Nintendo are working on a vehicle that helps the elderly move about town. Also, GPS systems have been shown to cut down on driver's fatigue and improve overall driving safety. And other studies have shown mobile phones in cars can actually ease traffic congestion.

The lessen here is use your in-car tech wisely. Or, we don't know... maybe just drive.

From Reuters.

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Tags: cell-phone mobile-phone car auto safety gps vehicle hands-free, Cell-phoneMobile-phoneCarAutoSafetyGpsVehicleHands-free

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