New study: U.S. drivers talk and drive, condemn others who do, and mistakenly believe that 'hands-free' is safer

BOISE - As driver distractions go, a new study suggests Americans give and get mixed signals regarding cell phone use, including the notion that hands-free phone conversations are safer than those involving hand-held phones, according to AAA Idaho.

The new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study released this week concludes a majority of drivers rate drivers using cell phones as a more serious safety threat than aggressive driving, excessive speeding and running red lights. Nevertheless, more than half also admit to using cell phones at least occasionally while driving (16-17 percent do so regularly).

But perhaps the most salient observation from recent surveys comprising the AAA Foundation study is that Americans believe hands-free conversation is a safer way to talk while driving, even though scientific research shows that is simply not the case.

As the number of cell phone subscribers and proportion of drivers using them continues to increase, studies that have analyzed the cell phone records of crash-involved drivers have reported that using a cell phone while driving raises the risk of a crash four times.

"There's a troubling disconnect between what we think, what we think we know, and what actually happens behind the wheel," according to AAA Idaho Director of Public and Government Affairs Dave Carlson. "Evidence shows that using a hands-free phone while driving impairs your reaction time to critical events and increases your crash risk about the same as if you were using a hand-held phone."

Two recent AAA Foundation surveys that comprise the study found:

• Over half of U.S. drivers admit to using a cell phone while driving. Fifty-three (53) percent of drivers in one survey reported using a cell phone at least occasionally in the past month; the other survey placed the percentage at 61.
• Nearly two-thirds (63.5%) of all drivers and 68.4 percent of drivers who report using a cell phone while driving believe hands-free driving is safer.
• Among those who admit to using a cell phone while driving, 60 percent use a handheld device.Thirty-four (34) percent used a hands-free phone.
• One in seven admit text messaging while driving in the past month.Young drivers are overwhelming more likely to do so, with nearly half between the ages of 18-24 doing so occasionally, compared to less than five percent of those drivers ages 45 and older.
• Despite respondents' belief that driving while using a cell phone is a serious safety problem (83%), many continue to do so.That is at odds with the respondents' view that the practice is dangerous. Indeed, 17 percent conclude that cell phone solutions, including outright bans, would be the most effective way to address serious traffic safety crashes.

A large body of evidence from prior studies shows that using a cell phone while driving is associated with roughly a quadrupling of crash risk, whether the conversation involves a hand-held device or is hands-free, as is the case with those who use speaker phones or Bluetooth devices.

Various studies conclude using a cell phone while driving produces a small to moderate impact on speed, lane positioning and vehicle control. Researchers estimated, based on data from 18 studies, that cell phone use increases the time required to react to react to critical events. Slower reactions result whether the call is made hands-free or via a hand-held cell phone, they conclude.

The impact on reaction time is a phenomenon known as "inattentional blindness" or "perceptual blindness." The condition is associated with a person whose focus on one particular task results in their failure to notice unexpected stimulus from another source, even when looking at it.

Carlson said this driver condition is consistent with the complaints AAA frequently hears from its members. "Drivers engaged in cell phone conservations seem oblivious to what's happening around them," Carlson said.

While cell phone use has increased exponentially in the past decade (an estimated 255 million were in use in December 2007 in the U.S., compared to 100 million just six years earlier), action to trim their use while driving has been inconsistent at best. Just five states prohibit their use outright, and then only for hand-held devices, ignoring research referenced in the AAA Foundation study and others.

Additionally, just five states have addressed the growing phenomenon of text messaging. Seventeen states also have laws that prohibit young drivers-drivers under 18 years of age in some cases, drivers with learner's permits or provisional licenses in other cases-from using any cell phone while driving, including a hands-free device.

"Our organization has fielded numerous inquiries and legislative requests to address this particular driving distraction," Carlson said. "Our response is that testing legislation among young drivers may be a good way to start, but that regulating one behavior against another may put Idaho on a slippery slope. Should the state attempt to regulate every form of driver distraction?

Carlson said better education and directed enforcement using inattentive and reckless driving laws may be appropriate, but he admits his organization does not have all the answers.

Editor: An audio version of this news release is available on the AAA News Hotline. In Boise, call 232-9391. Outside Boise, call toll free, 800-999-9391. Ask the AAA News Hotline.

AAA Oregon/Idaho provides more than 725,000 members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive related services. AAA serves 51 million motorists in North America