Finally, proof we’re not just blowing smoke (Ed. – On this). Researchers say those who talk on cell phones while driving “instantly age,” reducing their reaction time to that of 70-year-olds. What do you think the reaction time would be for a 70-year-old driver talking on a cell phone? 120?
Anyway, quarterly journal Human Factors writes:
“If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone,” said University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer. “It’s like instantly aging a large number of drivers.”
The study also found that those talking on cell phones were 18% slower to react to brake lights; kept a 12% greater following distance; and took 17%longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked. More scary info here.
Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year, according to the journal’s publisher, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
Via Drudge Report
