Cell Phones Are a Drag on the Commute

Drivers talking on cellphones are probably making your commute longer, a new study concludes.

According to research from the University of Utah, cell-phone users drive more slowly than their non-cell using counterparts.

Driving while chatting on the phone isn't just dangerous - it's also a drag on traffic, University of Utah researchers contend.

A team of psychology and engineering specialists at the U. parked undergraduate students in front of driving simulators and put them on hands-free mobile phones. The result is that the distracted drivers moved more slowly and were less likely to switch lanes when there was a clear advantage in doing so, the researchers reported.

Multiplied by the many people who might be talking while driving in any given rush hour, the findings indicate that mobile phones are slowing commutes.

The research ultimately found that "when drivers conversed on a cell phone, they made fewer lane changes, had a lower overall mean speed and a significant increase in travel time in the medium and high density driving conditions," the researchers wrote.

Further, "in low-, medium-, and high-traffic density, cell phone users spent 31 percent, 16 percent and 12 percent, respectively, more time following within 200 feet of a slow lead vehicle than undistracted drivers. That meant they spent 25 to 50 more seconds following another vehicle during the 9.2-mile drive."

(January 3, 2007)