Cellphones: Hands-free does not mean safe

When the Cape Gazette recently obtained investigative reports for three fatal accidents on Route 1, the reports opened a window on the details of police investigations, revealing the complexity of determining the facts of each case. Our investigation led us to more carefully investigate cell phone use while driving.

We interviewed a former engineer who serves as an expert witness on cellphone use, who said taking one’s eyes off the road to text is six times worse than driving drunk with a blood alcohol level exceeding 0.08.

But his warning went well beyond texting. He said studies show talking on a phone, even hands free, is just as dangerous as driving drunk.

Readers might complain that talking on a cellphone is no different than talking to someone next to you in a car, but researchers at the University of Utah say our brains disagree.

When we talk on the phone, our brains work to decipher the meaning behind the words. Innuendo and inflection easily recognized in a face-to-face conversation are unidentifiable in a phone conversation, forcing our brains to work harder to determine the meaning of what we hear. Researchers say that increased mental workload and cognitive distraction reduce driver reaction times; they can also lead to tunnel vision or inattention blindness where motorists don’t see potential hazards right in front of them.

Meanwhile, auto companies are competing to make it even easier to use cellphones while driving; many cars built within the last few years offer hands-free cell phone technology.

This will increase risks for all motorists until that technology is accompanied by devices that will take over and avoid the hazards the distracted driver has not even seen.

That technology is evolving, but until it’s as standard on all cars as hands-free technology, Delaware lawmakers should reconsider state laws on cellphone use while driving.

Drivers talking on cellphones, even hands free, are distracted.

When drivers involved in accidents are found to have been using a cellphone, those drivers should face charges – at the very least – of distracted driving.