US psychologists have observed that hands-free mobile phone calls are much more distracting than even the most talkative passenger.
 
Lee Strayer, a psychologist at the University of Utah, and his colleagues had earlier found that a driver using a cell phone was about as competent as one who was drunk. But new research conducted in Australia has concluded that using hands-free devices while driving is just as bad, increasing the risk of crashing by four times.

For the test, 96 people aged between 18 and 49 were asked to drive on a simulator. The results showed that drivers using hands-free devices drifted out of their lanes and missed exits more frequently than those talking to passengers.

Strayer pointed out that passengers can help the driver with navigation. He also said that passengers control their speech in line with the situation on the road, unlike a cellphone, where the speaker on the other side is unaware of traffic conditions. X

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