With the recent ban on the use of mobile phones in cars unless using a hands-free kit, conversation has been sparked over the efficacy of the ban.
Research has shown that mobile conversations, whether conducted through a hands-free kit or a handset, are highly risky due to the distraction they pose for the driver, and prompting experts to suggest a total ban on mobile phone use in cars.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“However, Mark Stevenson, of the George Institute for International Health and co-author of a study into the risks of talking while driving, said the popularity of hands-free kits could lead to an increase in road accidents.
“”If this new technology actually increases mobile phone use in cars, it could contribute to even more crashes.”
“Professor Stevenson’s study, published in the British Medical Journal, showed the risk of having an accident while on a hands-free kit was only 5 per cent less than handheld cellphones.”