Why backseat drivers are less trouble than a mobile phone

There's been much written about the dangers of driving distracted while talking on a cell phone - with or without a hands-free device, but this study, by Dr Takashi Hamada, of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tokyo, makes the most sense of all, explaining why it really is different than simply talking to a passenger.

"Scientists have revealed why driving and talking on a mobile phone is more distracting than carrying out a conversation with a passenger.

According to the Scotsman, "they found that as the car moves, the mobile phone switches continually between base stations - causing a loss of sound quality with interruptions, making the motorist's brain work harder to hear the other person. This leaves fewer auditory resources to allocate to events outside the car."

emily | 7:53 AM | Cell Phones while driving/flying/sailing |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2005/07/009265.htm