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Those talented researchers at the University of Utah just keep coming up with more reasons to curtail cell phone use while driving. Good for them! But, is the motoring public getting the message?
Not long ago, psychology professor David Strayer and his colleagues virtually proved that driving while talking on a cell phone is tantamount to driving drunk. Obviously, it is a terribly dangerous practice. It puts all motorists at risk.
Now, the latest research shows cell phones cause frustrating, even costly traffic delays.
According to the researchers, those who talk on cell phones "tend to drive slower, their reaction times are slower, if they do hit the brakes it takes them longer to come back up to highway speed, and they are less likely to change lanes." In short, they "gum up the highways."
As KSL has said before, there comes a time as technology advances when the convenience offered by cell phone use must be judged against the hazards they pose.
It would best, of course, if motorists would voluntarily restrict their use of cell phones. Otherwise, legislative action and the imposition of legal restrictions on cell phone driving may be the only solution to this growing problem.
