News & Press
Cell Phone Distraction Study
Passenger conversation less distracting than cell – December 01, 2008
Jaclyn Cashman
(WWLP) - New research shows that drivers make more mistakes while talking on cell phones than when talking to passengers.
A series of experiments using driving simulators showed that young adult drivers who were talking on cell phones had reaction times similar to senior citizens.
The researchers also tested drivers using hand held devices. They found that they drifted out of their lanes and missed more exits than those talking to a passenger.
Researchers believe that the passengers act as a second pair of eyes for the driver and that they sometimes will even interrupt the conversation to help the driver.
The research was published in the journal of experimental psychology: applied.
