Not according to current research. A study funded by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety about the effects of cell phone use on driver attention found that the distraction of using a hands-free cell phone and tuning a radio is similar. Regarding the question of banning specific devices such as handheld cell phones, two facts are clear:
- Banning handheld phones, but allowing hands-free phones is likely to have little or no effect on safety. No studies show hands-free phones offer safety advantages over handheld phones. The distracting factor is the conversation -- not the device itself. And, no one can legislate when and what drivers think.
- Banning hands-free phones won't address the larger issue. Banning hands-free phones will not affect other distracters in the car, which are equally as distracting as cell phones.
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