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Friday, June 30, 2006

Hang up and drive

Source: Forbes

A new study says that people who talk on cell phones while driving, even using "hands-free" devices, are as impaired as drunk drivers. This actually doesn't make sense to me. If you're hands-free isn't that the same thing as just talking in the car? Is talking worse than being drunk too? Either way, I'm guilty. I do talk, sometimes on my cell phone, while driving. I guess I should cut down or just sing along with the radio. But hey, I draw the line. I absolutely never program a play list on my iPod while driving.

Update 7/1/06:
Here's one of those times when I truly wish we had comments on the blog. Here's the answer I needed...very well put by reader tridoug below, who I know nothing about so I'm visualizing him. Thanks to tridoug I now know I shouldn't drive at a time like this.

"No. Here's the missing piece of the puzzle. Talking on a phone causes you to visualize who you're talking to (because they're not there). When the other person is in your proximity you don't have to imagine that they are, because they ARE :-)

Really, it's true -- human interaction has been developing and evolving for millions of years and suddenly throwing a device in the middle of it all is simply too much to ask. I know, it sounds crazy but this is really the case. Just observe people talking on the phone, whether it's at home, at the office or just walking around. You behave differently than when you're conversing with someone right next to you. Human interaction is highly optimized for proximity and we're not good at doing it remotely."