tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9048879464910781933.post2371223479540227105..comments2023-10-12T00:25:24.119-07:00Comments on Talking Brains: Driving while using hands-free cell phonesGreg Hickokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16656473495682901613noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9048879464910781933.post-5241012727011230422008-11-17T07:42:00.000-08:002008-11-17T07:42:00.000-08:00I wonder if conversing with a blind passenger woul...I wonder if conversing with a blind passenger would have the same effect as talking to someone on a cell phone...perhaps we also need a law banning blind passengers from speaking in a moving automobile!Jeff Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14718768155042760295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9048879464910781933.post-5647799733192771782008-08-18T12:30:00.000-07:002008-08-18T12:30:00.000-07:00It seems the findings are pretty strong, so if you...It seems the findings are pretty strong, so if you are suspect of the research, I'd like to know why.<BR/><BR/>No doubt we are all more able to manage a car control emergency much better with two hands on the wheel, but that's not the point. There is no law mandating that you have to drive with two hands, only that your free hand can't have a phone in it -- coffee if fine, however.Greg Hickokhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16656473495682901613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9048879464910781933.post-57489976978233928442008-08-18T12:01:00.000-07:002008-08-18T12:01:00.000-07:00I am suspect of the research. Intuitively, it wou...I am suspect of the research. Intuitively, it would seem our distractability will vary largely between individuals and occasions (e.g., an aircraft pilot would seem well equipped to hold a phone conversation and manage driving--unless maybe that conversation happens to require a lot of visual recall).<BR/><BR/>Furthermore, I know experimentally that I am less equipped for an accident when holding the phone than when using the cord. That has nothing to do with distraction, but has to do with having both hands to respond.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9048879464910781933.post-87508103544393813642008-07-21T13:31:00.000-07:002008-07-21T13:31:00.000-07:00from http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc2...from http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/reports/muarc206.html <BR/><BR/>"Research has found that talking on a mobile phone is more distracting than holding an intelligent conversation with a passenger, but no more distracting than eating a cheeseburger."<BR/><BR/>While this research is not, strictly speaking, kosher, it does raise several important questions, not the least of which is how many accidents are specifically caused by finding those little onions in the cheeseburger when you clearly said "no onions" at the drive-thru? But since this IS Talking BRAINS, here's a more relevant one: do we need to check whether or not eating cheeseburgers depresses parietal lobe activation during driving simulations, or can we just assume that distractions other than conversations with passengers (with their attendant dynamic accomodations to the driving conditions) generally impair driving ability?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9048879464910781933.post-42608113515866654502008-07-20T15:09:00.000-07:002008-07-20T15:09:00.000-07:00The last sentence made my day. So true.Thanks for ...The last sentence made my day. So true.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the post. Scary topic for us bicyclists...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com