And now, from the "Hands Free or Die" files and Yahoo! News...

Sudiegirl sez: Don’t get me wrong…I’m “Gadget-Girl”. I LOVE technology. Sometimes I love it a bit too much. I’m not sure whether these researchers are on to something or not, but be that as it may, I am going to do what I always do. So don’t call me on my cell…I’ll be busy!

Distracted Drivers: Even 'Hands-Free' Talking is Dangerous
Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Managing Editor
LiveScience.com

Tue Mar 14, 1:00 PM ET
Cell phones have been labeled dangerous in a handful of studies cataloguing how they distract drivers. (Yeah…I know…phones don’t kill people; out of control vehicles kill people.)

One solution in many minds is the "hands-free" phone. (Works for me…plus, people get to listen to me mutter, curse and swear and I don’t have to get a cramp in my arm while holding my phone.)

But it turns out that's a lousy idea, too. (Say it ain't so, JOE!)

In fact, your reaction time behind the wheel seems to be slowed whenever you are doing anything but just driving. (So maybe radio stations around the land should air nothing but farm reports, test signals and…well, basically, just those two options?)

Pushing buttons

In a new study 40 students drove a car simulator with a steering wheel, gas and brake pedals and a large plasma screen. (Well, that’s a distraction right there…a plasma screen! How many channels does it have? If they have Boomerang, that’s all she wrote for me.) They followed a lead car and were told to brake as soon as they saw brake lights.

They were also asked to do other simple tasks, such as press a button on the steering wheel or say a word out loud when they saw a light flash in the lead car's rear window. (Was the word a swear word? That would add to the realism, I would think.)

On average they were 174 milliseconds slower at braking when the two tasks occurred at the same time compared to when the tasks were presented 350 milliseconds apart. (So…that means…I need to buy a watch that tracks milliseconds?)

That 174-millisecond delay translates to 16 feet in a car going 65 mph, the scientists say. (D’oh! Now I get it.)

We can't look and listen

Importantly, the delays were the same whether the tasks involved visual or audible input, vocal or manual responses. (Interesting…)

"This study joins a growing body of research showing that 'freeing up the hands' does not result in faster brake response times," said Jonathan Levy of the University of California, San Diego. (No, but it does guarantee that I can reach my jumbo Diet Coke and my bag of Cheetohs.)

The reason, according to a study last year, is that the human brain struggles to look and listen at the same time. (Well, musicians have dealt with that for centuries, trying to listen for cues and look at a conductor for visual cues. It just gives another reason for music education to be kept in schools, if you ask me!)

The new results are detailed in the March issue of the journal Psychological Science.

Sudiegirl’s final opinion?

If God hadn’t meant us to be able to multi-task while driving, he wouldn’t have created the coveted radio scheduling/advertising spot called “drive time”.
Now get the hell out of my way, you damn road hog! Stupid mini-van driving, co-dependent, martini-guzzling soccer moms…