Hang Up: Talking Drivers Risk Lives & Slow Traffic

Traffic accidents, caused by distracting mobile devices, commonly make headline news. Rather than reiterating the risk of talking on cellphones while driving, the following article focuses on the effect chatting motorists have on traffic delays.

Cellphone Users Slow Traffic
By: Tara Parker
New York Times
Jan. 3, 2008

Talking on the cellphone while driving isn’t just a safety risk. It also slows down traffic.
Motorists talking on the phone drive about two miles per hour more slowly than people who aren’t on the phone, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Utah. And while hands-free devices often are touted as safer alternatives, the scientists found that people using them also putter along, which suggests that it’s the talking, not the cellphone, that distracts the brain.
While a few miles per hour may not sound like much, as many as one in 10 drivers on the road is talking on the phone, says University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer, who coauthored the research. Slower cellphone drivers may be increasing overall commuting times by 5 percent to 10 percent, he calculates, and talking on the phone may increase each daily commuter’s travel time by 20 hours a year....
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/cell-phone-users-slow-traffic/?hp

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