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| Credit: www3.pcmag.com |
Using a handsfree kit or sending text
messages behind the wheel driving is as dangerous as being being legally drunk.
Scientists
from the Australian universities of Wollongong, Victoria, Swinburne of
Technology, the Institute for breathing and sleep and the University of
Barcelona have measured the reaction capacity behind the wheel of healthy
volunteers who participated in a driving simulation test lasting two days, each
a week apart.
The study included 12 university students who took two driving-simulation tests -- once after consuming alcohol and once while using headphones and a microphone to simulate a hands-free system. People who were habitual drinkers or had never consumed alcohol were not included in the study.
The study included 12 university students who took two driving-simulation tests -- once after consuming alcohol and once while using headphones and a microphone to simulate a hands-free system. People who were habitual drinkers or had never consumed alcohol were not included in the study.
The
participants, who had driving licenses, had to maintain their vehicle's
position in the center of the left lane at a speed of between 60 and 80
kilometres per hour, and brake every time a truck appeared.
Texting while Driving is Dangerous
The
researchers found that when having a phone conversation that required a lot of
attention or when answering a text message, the participants' levels of
distraction were equal to the effects of having a blood alcohol concentration
(BAC) that was above the legal level in both countries (0.5 grams per liter).
Handsfree
just as Bad
"Our
results suggest that the use of hands-free devices could also put drivers at
risk," Leung Shuk Man said. "Although they should be allowed, they
require more research to determine how they should be regulated and, of course,
the thorough knowledge that national authorities should have regarding their
pros and cons," concludes study co-author Sumie Leung Shuk Man, a researcher at
the University of Barcelona.
###
The
above story is based on the March 13, 2013 news release by Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology
(FECYT)
The
research has been published in Traffic Injury Prevention, the official journal
of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM),
International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS), the
International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury (IRCOBI) and the
International Traffic Medicine Association (ITMA):
Leung
S, Croft RJ, Jackson ML, Howard ME, McKenzie RJ. A comparison of the effect of mobile phone use and alcohol
consumption on driving simulation performance. Traffic Inj Prev. 2012;13(6):566-74. doi:
10.1080/15389588.2012.683118.
More information
The
U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more about distracted driving.
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