Chatting on the phone while driving results in driver inattention, even with a hands-free device.
Many people think they are being safe and responsible when they decide to use a hands-free device instead of holding their phone while driving. The hands-free device may be a speakerphone on the phone itself. It might be a hands-free system offered in the vehicle’s dashboard. Maybe they are choosing to talk on the phone using a Bluetooth earbud or earpiece.
Regardless of the type of hands-free device selected by the driver, research confirms they will be distracted from the task of driving and vulnerable to causing a serious or fatal motor vehicle accident.
Hands-free devices simply do not solve the problem of distracted driving.
Read: Understanding the Distracted Brain: Why Driving While Using Hands-Free Cell Phones Is Risky Behavior, published by the National Safety Council in April 2012.
Chatting with Passengers vs. Chatting on a Hands-Free Device
Some may scoff at this reality, arguing that talking on a hands-free device is akin to chatting with a passenger in the vehicle. Studies have shown the two situations are different: chatting in person and chatting on the phone are not the same for the driver.
1. Passengers in the car are aware of driving conditions
If there is heavy traffic, a construction work zone, or a sudden snow storm, both the driver and the passenger are aware of the situation. Studies reveal passengers will become quiet or not chat as much in these circumstances, understanding the driver must focus on the road.
However, if the driver is chatting with someone on the hands-free device, that person is unaware of the road conditions. They will not know to be quiet unless the driver ends the call, and there are many reasons the driver may feel wary about doing so.
2. Passengers in the car participate in what is happening
As drivers maneuver through traffic or down the roadway, studies show that passengers will actively help the driver, monitoring things and sharing what they see and hear. They may share that the exit is coming up soon, or that a work zone is up ahead.
Comparatively, drivers talking on hands-free phones are more likely to miss their exit, or to drift out of their lane of traffic, than a driver who is chatting with passengers in his vehicle.
3. Cell Phone Etiquette vs. Good Manners in the Car
Research confirms that our social norms for cell phone conversations impact how drivers use their phones while driving, even with a hands-free device. For instance, the driver may worry about being rude if he does not continue chatting on the call, even if he’s in the midst of bad weather, heavy traffic, or is considered about what exit to take.
The result is that a driver who might ask passengers to quiet down because he needs to focus driving might not do so when he is chatting hands-free in the car. Research confirms this is because there are different social expectations for the two types of conversations.
Cognitive Distraction Results in Inattention Blindness
One of the key issues with drivers chatting on hands-free devices is that these conversations still result in cognitive distraction. Here, the driver’s brain is distracted from the tasks involved in driving the motor vehicle because of the hands-free conversation.
“Cognitive distraction is equally present during handsfree phoning as during handheld phoning…. [T]here is a clear influence of handsfree phoning on driving behavior(primarily on the visual variables).” Desmet, Charlotte, and Kevin Diependaele. “An eye-tracking study on the road examining the effects of handsfree phoning on visual attention.” Transportation research part F: traffic psychology and behaviour 60 (2019): 549-559.
One primary cognitive distraction of the driver involves the driver’s vision. Research shows that drivers using a hands-free phone may be looking out the windshield, but they may not “see” what is there.
Studies estimate that a driver chatting on a hands-free device may fail to visually register up to 50% of the objects in his driving environment.
Why? The driver’s brain must process a great deal of information every second that the driver is operating the motor vehicle. Most of this information enters his or her short-term memory.
There, the information is processed in three stages, the first of which is “encoding.” If there is an overwhelming amount of information, then the encoding response is to screen out information.
Encoding decides what information is important and should be prioritized. Here, things are also shuffled to the back-burner once they are determined not to be important.
Much of the brain’s encoding decisions are subconsciously made. The driver is not aware that this is happening.
The driver’s brain, during its encoding process, may decide the conversation takes priority over the visual information (as well as what the driver is hearing). This results in distracted driving, and the increased risk of a serious or fatal motor vehicle accident.
Victims of Drivers Distracted by Hands-Free Devices in Indiana and Illinois
Victims of any type of motor vehicle accident here in Indiana or Illinois (auto accident, motorcycle crash, semi-truck crash, pedestrian hit-and-run, etc.) need to consider whether or not the driver was distracted at the time of the crash. As we discussed in our previous post, police reports cannot be relied upon to confirm or deny that a driver was distracted by their phone at the time of an accident.
Today, hands-free phone devices are promoted as offering greater safety for the driver against a distracted driving accident. Research warns that drivers who assume that chatting hands-free is safe are wrong. Any driver talking on a hands-free phone device is distracted and running the risk of a serious or fatal crash.
For more on distracted driving accidents, read:
- April Distracted Driving Awareness Month: Can the Police Make a Difference?
- Distracted Drivers and Danger of Fatal Pedestrian Accidents in Parking Lots and Garages
- Accidents From Distracted Phones in Indiana and Illinois: Deadwalkers and Petextrians
- Distracted Driving Cause of Accidents: Proving Fault in a Car Crash
If you or a loved one have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, then it may be wise to investigate if a hands-free device contributed to the crash. Please be careful out there!
