Cell-phone chat called big diversion

An AAA study released Wednesday finds that cell-phone use isn't among the worst driver distractions, but a University of Utah researcher says the practice is still dangerous.

"Quantifying the amount of distraction is very difficult. It's still hard to say what the magnitude is in terms of impairment," said Frank A. Drews of the University of Utah psychology department, who along with David Strayer and Dennis J. Crouch performed a study that showed a driver concentrating on cell-phone calls can be more hazardous on the highway than a drunken driver.

"Are you going to have the same level of distraction having an emotional conversation on your cell phone as you would eating a hamburger? Probably not. An emotional conversation will probably have more impact on you and on your abilities to drive."

The study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, performed by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, used in-car video cameras to see how drivers behaved in their cars. All drivers studied were distracted at some point during their taped driving hours. About one-third of the subjects used a cell phone while driving, compared with 71.4 percent who ate or drank, 45.7 percent who groomed and 91.4 percent who manipulated music and audio controls.

But rather than looking at percentages, Drews emphasized the importance of evaluating the time used for each activity.

"I think people spend a lot of time on their cell phone and not a lot of time manipulating the radio, changing a CD or eating a hamburger. It's cumulative, and I see much more people talking on cell phones than people eating."

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