Cell Phone Drivers Worse Than Drunk Drivers

A new study by the University of Utah reports that people talking on hand-held and hands-free cell phones performed worse than legally drunk drivers on several driving tests. Cell phone users had more accidents than any other test group. From the study:

Motorists who talked on either handheld or hands-free cell phones drove slightly slower, were 9 percent slower to hit the brakes, displayed 24 percent more variation in following distance as their attention switched between driving and conversing, were 19 percent slower to resume normal speed after braking and were more likely to crash. Three study participants rear-ended the pace car. All were talking on cell phones. None were drunk.

The legally drunk drivers followed cars more closely and braked later and more forcefully than other test groups, but they did not have higher accident rates than normal drivers.

They followed the pace car more closely, were twice as likely to brake only four seconds before a collision would have occurred, and hit their brakes with 23 percent more force. “Neither accident rates, nor reaction times to vehicles braking in front of the participant, nor recovery of lost speed following braking differed significantly” from undistracted drivers, the researchers write.

Earlier studies showing cell phone use worse than alcohol impaired driving. Here is the full report of the Utah cell phone driving study (pdf)