Of course it does, how could anyone even say differently. If you are focused on anything else besides the road, your focus on driving is less. I'm not sure that it impairs it so much that you can't drive. It's the same as eating a big mac while driving, dealing with a screaming child in the back seat or changing the radio station.

However, I can't believe that people actually text while driving, that's got impair your driving close to drunk driving. How can you focus on the road while pushing tiny buttons? Remember, that's how that group of HS girls died last year, b/c the driver was texting.

I am a multitasker and in my car often for work. I use my cell phone all the time while driving and it does impede my driving capabilities. The worst is texting/bbming while driving. I should use hands free more, or just wait until I'm parked to use the phone!

As above, the removal of the focus from the road, and more importatnly the other drivers ON the road, will impair driving capabilities. This is true whether someone is using hands-free devices, listening to music, talking with a passenger or just about anything else. Does it impair it to the point of safety concerns? That is a question that you will have to establish for yourself.

Largely, however, I do feel that using a cell phone in the car is dangerous, certainly as dangerous as eating or drinking while driving. Using a cell phone removes one hand from the wheel, and requires the eyes to drift off the road to ensure that you have placed the call correctly or to see who placed the call to you. Use of hands-free devices ameliorates this slightly, downgrading it to the level of holding a conversation with a passenger. For some, the amount of concentration needed to hold such a conversation is minimal and does not impinge greatly on the driving. For others (the majority I would say), the act of talking with friends, coworkers, family or enemies detracts so greatly from the skills required to drive safely as to create a road-borne menace.

It does, and I'm trying to stop.

Driving while talking on the phone is one of the stupidest things a person can do while driving, second only to sleeping, texting and reading; which in turn are second only to driving while under the influence of any drug. It distracts the driver from the road and forces one of the driver's hands to be occupied with a non driving related task. While this may not seem like a big deal, in an emergency both hands are absolutely necessary to keep a vehicle in control.

Saying that you think that you're "good enough" to drive while talking on the phone is like saying that you're OK to drive after five beers. I don't care who you are it's stupid and your license should be revoked for life.

To claim that talking on a phone creates zero impairment wrong, but perhaps the impairment is small for just talking. Any small thing that can distract will impair driving to some degree. Button pushing and reading text messages are sure to cause greater impairment than talking.

Meaning no offense - this question does not address the more important issue. The real issue isn't whether YOU (or ME, or any individual) can carry on a phone conversation and drive safely.

There are hundreds, thousands - or even hundreds of thousands - of other drivers sharing the road, and we ALL have a right to expect the other drivers to do their best to be safe drivers.

And there can be NO DOUBT that some drivers absolutely need to put all of their attention on driving.

It definitely does impair driving capabilities. Not only have I seen tests where drunk drivers drove better, but I've also seen many drivers perform horribly and piss me off while driving. No contest.

Of course it does. Anything that takes your complete concentration from the road is dangerous. I don't know of anyone who can talk on the cell phone and not get distracted at least once or twice within a conversation. This slight distraction can be the difference between noticing the car beside you or hitting them.

I know for myself even trying to see the radio station when I am changing it causes a distraction so a cell phone is worse we tend to be a little more dramatic and animated when we talk on the phone.

So yes it does impair driving ability.

Even if talking on a phone only minimally impairs driving capacities, you know you shouldn't do it.

Let's say you can drive most of the time using only 50% of your attention, so you have 50% left to use the phone, listen to the radio, drink coffee and apply makeup or check your hair in the rear-view mirror. Still, a mistake by another driver can suddenly get you into a situation that 1) requires all your attention and 2) at interstate speeds can cause your untimely death.

As you were being put into an ambulance, even if the accident wasn't your fault, wouldn't you regret not giving your full attention to driving?

At least 80% of the time, the driver in front of me drives like an idiot, it's someone on a cell phone.

If you think you are any better: YOU ARE NOT!

Hang up and drive!

All we have to do is look at the statistics of crashes caused by driver neglect while talking or typing on a cellular device. The main purpose in driving safely is to be fully alert without unnecessary distraction. This is why many states in the U.S. have banned phone and computer usage while driving.

A lot of people want to argue the fact. They all claim 'not me' while admitting that it does affect others. It's this same condition that causes people to get into a lot of other problems as well. We always want to say that we're the exception to the rule.

Studies have repeatedly shown that it does affect drivers and that the use of hands free devices does not negate the effects. Anyone that claims it doesn't affect them is in denial.

Yes, because even with a headset you're still focusing on the conversation. Anything that takes concentration away from driving and the road is going to impair driving ability.

I have been in to many close calls on the road when a driver is on their cell. It is not safe! More cars should come with the option to hook your phone up to your speaker sistem. I would feel alot safter driving with Renee if she didnt have to take her hands off the wheel haha

It looks like I was on the loosing side so I switch sides. Yes, of course driving while talking on a phone impairs your ability to drive a car! BTW, I don't own a cell phone so I don't know first hand but that never stopped me from having an opinion before so why start now?

It does, whether you are using a headset or not. The basic problem is that you are engaging in a conversation that is 'outside' your environment, the car. You disengage the active part of your brain to participate in the conversation which is happening elsewhere. You leave the driving to the automatic part of the brain, which works just fine as long as there is nothing out of the ordinary. Problems occur when something unexpected happens, like a pedestrian jay-walks, or somebody runs a light, or a light turns red in an intersection that usually stays green. This happened just last week to me - a light that is usually green changed and the girl behind me, chatting on a phone, rammed us at full speed. If she was talking to a friend in the car she would have been aware of her environment, the car, but since the friend was outside the car, she wasn't actively aware of her environment.

I'm quite sure it does. And I have seen other people driving crazy and they are on their phones. But, it doesn't stop anyone.

Yes it does, not because it makes driving harder, because it decreases your reaction time. As you talking on the phone and engaged in a conversation, your brain wil not react as fast as if it would if you was focused mainly on the room. So if your reaction time is impaired i think that makes talkn on the phone and driving dangerous. A 1 sec mistake can become deadly on the road. have you ever let your eyes off the road to change radio station to look up and have to slam on brakes???

Tell that to all the people you unintentionally cut off without ever noticing.

OF COURSE. NUFF SAID. Pay attention and drive, for god's sake! Your stupid accident that can be easily prevented will cause a huge inconvenience for all of us on same road!

If someone tells you over hands-free while you're driving that you've just won €5,322,654.32 on the lottery, your perfect driving record may be in jeopardy.

This may have already been presented but empirically speaking studies have shown that headset or not, there is no different in brain activity in terms of focus on the road.

It isn't a matter of having an extra hand.

It's a matter of still not having your mind on the road around you but on continuing the conversation and contemplating what your friends are saying to you.

If you could do two things at once then you must have good eyesight no brain or 8 arms. It will cost you one day or someoe else their life.

You are on your own on this one Borme!

I cant even conduct a nightout because of my mobile.

I don't believe that driving while talking on the phone impairs my driving capabilities. I am on the road for work a lot and am always on my cellphone either talking, sending email, or texting, but I always make sure to keep my eyes on the road and pay attention. I do see a lot of people that cut me off or are driving like a maniac and that they're on their cellphone, but I think that people who do it frequently like myself learn to multitask effectively.