Everyone has heard that texting while driving can be deadly, as indeed it is. It has also been discovered that speaking on the phone can be almost as dangerous. So many state laws have been passed requiring drivers speaking the phone do so hands free, the theory being that holding a phone is very distracting and requires one hand off the wheel. All true. But what about the supposed added safety of hands-free phone, radio usage and other similar functions?
Recent research by the AAA Foundation has shown that doing anything hands-free that is not directly related to driving the vehicle can be dangerous. In fact it was demonstrated that not only is the phone call distracting, but there is a 27 second period even after a call has ended that a driver is distracted. At 60 mph, that means ones attention is impaired for the next half mile. My personal suggestion is that one should drive even faster so as to get to the destination sooner and make the phone call safely from there.
