
A study from 2006 concluded that talking on a cell phone (with AND without holding the phone) is as dangerous as driving after drinking alcohol.1Strayer, D. L., Drews, F. A., & Crouch, D. J. (2006). A comparison of the cell phone driver and the drunk driver. Human factors: The journal of the human factors and ergonomics society, 48(2), 381-391.
CONCLUSION
Claim: Using a cell phone while driving can be as bad as driving drunk.
EVIDENCE
Drinking and Talking Comparisons
Alcohol tended to make drivers follow other cars more closely and brake harder.
Talking on a phone caused more accidents and drivers reacted slower.
Name | Baseline | Alcohol | Cell Phone |
---|---|---|---|
Total accidents | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Brake reaction time | 777ms | 779ms | 849ms |
Maximum braking force | 56.7 | 69.8 | 55.5 |
Speed | 55.5 | 52.8 | 53.8 |
Mean following distance | 27.4m | 26m | 28.4m |
SD following distance | 9.5m | 10.3m | 11.8m |
Time to collision | 8.5s | 8s | 8.1s |
Time to collision < 4s | 1.5 | 3 | 1.9 |
Half recovery time | 5.3 | 5.4 | 6.3 |
Another study compared hands-free cell phones to drivers with a blood alcohol level of .04-.05. This study also found that both groups drove differently than the control group, with slower reaction times and decreased peripheral vision.3Hands-free mobile phone conversation impairs the peripheral visual system to an extent comparable to an alcohol level of 4–5 g 100 ml
Holding a conversation while driving reduces the peripheral visual field. The same effects can be observed in persons under a low-dose of alcohol and in both cases the effect is enhanced when the individual also has limited driving experience.
Comparing cell phone use, other distractions (changing the radio, fan, air conditioning) and alcohol use in another study, found that cell phones and the other distractions were actually more impairing than being intoxicated at the legal limit (.08).4Rakauskas, M., & Ward, N. (2005). Driving Performance During Cell Phone Conversations and Common In-Vehicle Tasks While Sober and Drunk.
How Many Drinks Are We Talking About?
- Blood Alcohol Level
- For Men
- For Women
Not that it’s necessary in understanding the research, but I wasn’t exactly sure what blood alcohol level really meant in terms of drinks. To put that in perspective, these studies tested drivers with a blood alcohol level of .08 (about two to four drinks) and .04-.05 (about one to two drinks).
The “For Men” and “For Women” tabs will give you an even better idea of how many drinks that means. (Blood alcohol levels vary based on gender, weight, type of drink, amount of drink, how fast you drink and other factors. These are just estimates.)5National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2013). Safety in Numbers. NHTSA Newsletter. Volume 1, Issue 9.
Standard Drink Sizes
Beer
Wine
80 Proof Spirits
Weight | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100 lbs | .04 | .08 | .11 | .15 | .19 | .23 | .26 | .3 |
120 lbs | .03 | .06 | .09 | .12 | .16 | .19 | .22 | .25 |
140 lbs | .03 | .05 | .08 | .11 | .13 | .16 | .19 | .21 |
160 lbs | .02 | .05 | .07 | .09 | .12 | .14 | .16 | .19 |
180 lbs | .02 | .04 | .06 | .08 | .11 | .13 | .15 | .17 |
200 lbs | .02 | .04 | .06 | .08 | .09 | .11 | .13 | .15 |
220 lbs | .02 | .03 | .05 | .07 | .09 | .1 | .12 | .14 |
240 lbs | .02 | .03 | .05 | .06 | .08 | .09 | .11 | .1 |
Weight | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100 lbs | .05 | .09 | .14 | .18 | .23 | .27 | .32 | .36 |
120 lbs | .04 | .08 | .11 | .15 | .19 | .23 | .27 | .3 |
140 lbs | .03 | .07 | .1 | .13 | .16 | .19 | .23 | .26 |
160 lbs | .03 | .06 | .09 | .11 | .14 | .17 | .2 | .23 |
180 lbs | .02 | .05 | .08 | .09 | .13 | .15 | .18 | .2 |
200 lbs | .02 | .05 | .07 | .09 | .11 | .14 | .16 | .18 |
220 lbs | .02 | .04 | .06 | .08 | .1 | .12 | .14 | .17 |
240 lbs | .02 | .04 | .06 | .08 | .09 | .11 | .13 | .15 |
Stand-alone Cell Phone Studies
The studies that compared driving after drinking to cell phone only used about 100 participants total. There are however a few dozen more studies that researched just cell phone use.
Cell phone use causes users to accelerate differently, drive slower and cause more accidents than without talking on a phone.6Rakauskas, M. E., Gugerty, L. J., & Ward, N. J. (2004). Effects of naturalistic cell phone conversations on driving performance. Journal of safety research,35(4), 453-464.7Caird, J. K., Willness, C. R., Steel, P., & Scialfa, C. (2008). A meta-analysis of the effects of cell phones on driver performance. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 40(4), 1282-1293.
The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that 21% of crashes in 2011 involved handheld and hands-free cell phones. They claim that cell phones are not reported accurately as the cause of accidents for a variety of reasons.8Eddy, N. (2013). Mobile Distraction Underreported as Cause of Car Accidents. Eweek, 8. NSC’s estimating model is not real clear, but they do make a good point that the official data could be wrong since the numbers are insanely different per state. 9(2013). Crashes Involving Cell Phones Challenges of Collecting and Reporting Reliable Crash Data. National Safety Council.
Tennessee reported 71 fatal crashes involving cell phones in 2010 and 93 in 2011. However, states with much larger populations of drivers reported far fewer crashes involving cell phones. New York reported 10 such crashes in 2010 and one in 2011.
Handheld vs Hands-Free Cell Phone Use
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a big difference between holding a cell phone and using a hands-free version.
One study pointed out that California’s ban on hand-held cell phone calls didn’t seem to have an impact on reducing traffic accidents.10Burger, N. E., Kaffine, D. T., & Yu, B. (2013). Did California’s hand-held cell phone ban reduce accidents? (No. 2013-08). Another study pointed out possible issues with the first study, but reached a similar conclusion.
Another study noted that hands-free laws did impact traffic fatalities, but only in bad weather.11Kolko, J. D. (2009). The effects of mobile phones and hands-free laws on traffic fatalities. The BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 9(1).
Contrary Evidence
If it were only that easy. Since there were so much credible information on the impact of talking on a phone while driving, it seemed clear that cell phones are a distraction. One study did report an opposing study. This research states, “The impact of cell phone use on risk for the population, based on accident-only samples, may be overstated by about one-third.” The theory is that previous research didn’t account for drivers who use phones, but are inherently less safe, even without talking on the phone. 12Hahn, R. W., & Prieger, J. E. (2006). The impact of driver cell phone use on accidents. The BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 6(1).
While some prior reports might have overestimated accidents caused by talking on the phone, this study doesn’t account for the driving simulations that clearly demonstrate how cell phones can impair drivers.
- Yes, Talking On A Hands-Free Cellphone While Driving Is As Bad As Driving Drunk – Business Insider
- Cell phones as dangerous as drunk driving – CNet
- Talking on a cellphone while driving is risky. But simpler distractions can also cause harm. – Washington Post
- Cell Phone vs Drunk Driving MiniMyth – MythBusters
Works Cited [ + ]
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