Quote:
Originally Posted by groar
Last French & European studies has shown that phoning with phone in hand multiplies by 5 the accident risk. With hand less systems, whatever king of it (bluetooth ear or bluetooth through radio), the accident risk is multiplied by 4.
Personally I let it on vibration all day long and I put it far from me when I drive. If I have to drive a long trip then I switch it on ringing so I know than I have to stop at next area to consult my messages.
Now I regularly interact with my (GPS) navigator and (too) often look at iMPG, speed, RPM... 
Denis. |
Ay... must... avoid... flamewar...
Okay, what kind of tests did they do? The tests I've seen done are not realistic. They typically place you in a simulated driving situation where you're right off the bumper in front of you, and require you to maintain a high level of concentration on the phone conversation while testing your response time.
In reality, most people who recognize the possibility of risk will be more alert, keep a greater distance, ignore the conversation if a risky situation presents itself, and generally being more vigilant than the guy doing 65 and running on "autopilot", or, God forbid, eating and fiddling with the stereo.
In the past year, I've witnessed two serious rearenders on the freeways. In both cases, I was on the phone (Bluetooth), and in both cases I saw the crash coming 10-15 seconds ahead and was able to slow down and change lanes way in advance of any danger. (In one crash, the guy didn't notice that the traffic was stopping, and in the other, a guy plowed into a broken down car in the fast lane.)
And, yes, I've recognized where a situation was too dangerous to hold a conversation at all (fog, heavy rain, etc.), and didn't drive while on the phone in those situations. I also turned off the radio.