Phoning, Driving Don’t Mix

If you thought drivers yakking on cellular phones while maneuvering through traffic pose risks, now comes confirmation. They are four times more likely to get into accidents than those who leave their phones at home. The New England Journal of Medicine, which published the new study by two University of Toronto researchers, described it as “the first direct evidence that the use of cellular telephones in cars contributes to roadway collisions.”

Considering that there are 34 million wireless phones in the United States--4.3 million in California--findings of the study dictate a little common sense if you’re going to drive and chat simultaneously. Pay attention because the alternative may be regulation. Brazil, Israel, Switzerland and two states in Australia have already banned the use of cellular phones by moving motorists.

The Toronto study, which analyzed 26,798 phone calls made by 699 drivers in the Canadian city over a 14-month period, found that motorists who use cellular phones while driving were 4.3 times more likely to have an accident as other drivers. There are, of course, other commuter distractions. Just this week we saw a male motorist trimming his beard with an electric shaver and a parent with one hand on the wheel while the other reached into the back seat to wipe the nose of a child.

It doesn’t take a lot of concentration to realize that the examples cited are just plain dumb. But it does take significant concentration to guide a couple thousand pounds of metal, glass and rubber at 65 miles an hour without incident. If you insist on doing so with phone in hand, you might want to write your obituary first, just in case. But please, not while driving.