Would you drive under the influence? Would you want to be on the road when 5%-10% of the other drivers are drunk?
Newly released testing results indicate over and over that using a cell phone while you drive, even with a bluetooth headset, is the same as driving drunk.
The data has been hidden from us for awhile, but it sppears to be unassailable: using a cellphone while driving is just like driving drunk. Sometimes it's even worse than driving drunk.
The data comes from multiple sources and there are tests online where you can show yourself how it happens.
Your powers of observation are impaired and, for the hazards that you do see, your reaction time is completely shot.
Another NYT article says that drivers don't want to know about the dangers. Oh great.
Scary stuff. Where we live the roads are all two-lane country highways. 55 MPH on a two-lane road means that many -- if not most -- are going 60 or 65 MPH. Saturday night was bad enough with just a few drunks. Now you've got to be watching every minute of every day and suspect every single car of carrying an "open" cell phone.
Here: take a sample test yourself at the New York Times technology section.
