Hands Free phone use increases risk of accident by 400%

June 21, 2016, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

The BBC did a very good interview about hands free distracted driving, and it is very good. I would really highly recommend listening to it.

If you are on a hands free device talking you are four times more likely to crash, and this effect last for up to 5 minutes after the conversation ends. The study followed two groups of drivers (those who talked on their device and those who didn't). They had two kinds of conversations, one more abstract on more yes/no. What the researchers found was that conversations that require mental images to be created are far more distracting than yes/no conversation. They measured the distraction by eye movements, and reaction times.

It seems that conversation with passengers are less distracting because the passengers are in the same environment because they can see what you do, and can accommodate their conversation to the demands on the road. In phone conversations the people on the other end continue speaking regardless of what's going on in or around the car.

The results of this study agree with others that have been done in North America. The National Safety Council recommends that cell phone calls should be avoided. You need to keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and your mind on driving. Hands free is not risk free.

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The opinions expressed here, while intended to provide useful information, should not be interpreted as legal recommendations or advice.