Driving With Hands-Free Cell Phone Just as Dangerous as Handheld Cell Phone
A new study concludes that drivers are just about as likely to cause a traffic accident while using a hands-free cell phone as they are when using a regular handheld cell phone. The study found that both types of cell phones distract a driver's attention from the road and other vehicle to the extent that they are equally dangerous.
According to statistics on traffic crashes, each year in the United States, cell phone use while driving causes or contributes to more than 636,000 accidents which cause approximately 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths. As cell phones become more prevalent and cheaper, and come with more functions, we can expect these numbers to increase. Many people assume that hands-free cell phones are less dangerous and less likely to cause an accident than handheld cell phones. However, it appears that the primary factor that makes all cell phones dangerous for drivers is the attention they take away from the driver. If a driver is not focused on driving because of his/her cell phone use, he/she may not be in a position to react to dangerous situations or just changes in situations, such as routine traffic, regardless of whether his/her hands are available.
