What’s the difference between a hand-held phone conversation and a hands-free phone conversation while driving? In Stage 4 of our Seven Stages of Distraction Denial series eDriving’s award-winning Brain Scientist Advisor Paul Atchley Ph.D. reveals the answer, and provides an insight into exactly what happens to the brain when a person engages in a phone conversation while driving.
Stage 4: Hands-free calls are OK and no worse than talking to a passenger
Is there a difference between hand-held phone use and hands-free phone use?
It’s the brain that’s the problem; not the hands. That’s why, in terms of distraction, using a hands-free phone is virtually no different to using a hand-held phone. In eDriving’s Seven Stages of Distraction Denial webinar, I talk about research carried out by myself and university colleagues in which we examined hundreds of measurements across a multitude of studies into the effect of hand-held and hands-free phones. It’s interesting how little difference there is between the two!
What happens to a driver’s brain when they engage in a hands-free conversation?
Almost exactly the same as what happens to a driver who is engaged in a hand-held conversation. What’s amazing to me is when you look at someone who is engaged in a hands-free conversation, they will go from being a driver that’s scanning as far left as the oncoming traffic and as far right as the sidewalk where a kid might be playing, and down the roadway as far as they can see, to someone that is scanning about the width of the steering wheel and about the distance of the front bumper of the car.
Does this mean that talking to passengers is just as distracting for drivers?
This is one of the most common questions I get asked when I talk about distracted driving. But there are some significant differences between an in-car conversation and a conversation with someone on a cell phone. The passenger is aware of what is happening on the roadway around them and passengers tend to modulate the conversation to suit road demands.
To learn more about this stage and all Seven Stages of Distraction Denial, view eDriving’s webinar with Dr. Atchley in which he provides further insights and tips for avoiding distracted driving.
Distraction Denial Stage 5: My car’s technology makes me safe
Previous stages
Distraction Denial Stage 1: I am a better driver than most
Distraction Denial Stage 2: I am really good at multitasking
Distraction Denial Stage 3: It’s OK to text at stoplights
