CNN.com reports that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released a study showing that talking on a cell phone while driving makes you four times more likely to be in a serious accident. The study also seems to show that the use of hands-free devices do not alter those findings.
This is not surprising. The "hands-free device" movement was a non-solution. People were not getting into accidents because they were holding a phone, they got into accidents because a phone conversation takes mental energy and concentration that would otherwise be exerted on the road and driving conditions. The conversation serves as a distraction that can lead to errors that result in crashes.
So now that the study is out, anybody have thoughts on how quickly states and municipalities will move to prohibit any use of a cell phone while driving?
