Study: Drivers Who Chat On Cell Phones Drive Like The Elderly

[matcom]

<snip>

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Drivers who talk on cell phones end up driving like elderly people, with slower reaction times and a tendency to miss what is right in front of them, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Even when they used "hands-free" devices, young drivers who normally have the quickest reflexes drove like 70-year-olds, the team at the University of Utah found.

"If you want to act old really fast, then talk on a cell phone while driving," said Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology who worked on the study.

"If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone," added David Strayer, a psychology professor who led the study and who has been studying the effects of cell phone use on driving for years.

Writing in the journal Human Factors, Strayer's team said they tested people aged 65 to 74 against drivers aged 18 to 25.

Preliminary tests showed older people were slower in processing information, which is normal and expected.

Then the volunteers used a driving simulator with dashboard instruments, a steering wheel and brake and gas pedals, surrounded by three screens showing freeway scenes and traffic.

An image showed a car in front repeatedly hitting its brakes.

Each volunteer drove four simulated 10-mile freeway trips lasting about 10 minutes each, talking on a cell phone with a research assistant during half the trips and driving without talking the other times.

Only hands-free devices were used.

http://olympics.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=7515483

[Jamastiene]

1. I thought they drove more like

teenagers, weaving wildly all over the road, almost causing wrecks, causing wrecks, etc.

[Doctor_J]

2. duh

you can tell them from 1/2 mi away. They slow down when they're dialing, then when they're done dialing they suddenly realize they're doing 10 mph under the speed limit and spped back up. They also weave from lane to lane. Very annoying on the interstate.

[BlondieK143]

3. How about the 30 somethings

in their BMWs? Does that make them, like, 80? :D

[lpbk2713]

4. Here's a scary thought......

What does a 70 year old talking on a cell phone drive like?

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Fortunately, We Don't See That Too Much

But, if we did, i don't think the study would capture it. There would be no dataset of 120 year old drivers against which to compare.
The Professor