Talking more dangerous than drink driving

Man driving car while talking on mobile phone. Generic, Thinkstock Source: Supplied

• Turning a corner while talking "could be the most dangerous thing drivers do"
  
• Test drivers operated a realistic driving simulator inside an MRI scanner
• Landmark study finds voice activation technology may not be key to road safety

TRYING to turn across traffic while talking on the phone - even if the phone is being used hands-free - could be more dangerous than drink driving.

A landmark study by Canadian researchers has found the human brain struggles to manage a conversation while trying to negotiate a turn and watch for pedestrians, signals and other traffic.
 
The breakthrough research comes as most car makers begin to embrace voice-activated technology so drivers can "keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel".
 
But the new study now casts doubt over the effectiveness of this technology and the ability of drivers to properly control a car while talking on a handsfree phone.
 
Lead researcher Dr Tom Schweizer, director at St Michael Hospital's Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute in Toronto and a specialist in cognitive neuroscience, said talking and turning "could be the most dangerous thing drivers ever do on the road".

 
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, tested a group of drivers operating a simulator - equipped with a steering wheel and brake and accelerator pedals - inside an MRI brain scanner.
 
It found the distraction of a phone call was low when driving in a straight line, but the risk was abnormally high when driving required more concentration, such as when parking, turning a corner or dealing with traffic.
 
"Hands free not does mean brains free," said Dr Schweizer. "With hands-free kits, despite the fact that you are not holding on to a device, you are still being distracted from the primary task of driving.

"When we are talking, parts of the visual system shut down to allow the communications system to come on line. So less of our brain is devoted to the task of driving.
 
"We have finite resources, and when we begin a discussion, the brain starts to shift resources. But you need all these resources to carry out a complicated driving maneouvre safely."
 
The report also found that automobile manufacturers "have a responsibility to improve safety by refraining from installing various communication devices in vehicles, or by installing deactivation systems if drivers attempt to use the devices while the car is in motion".
 
The preliminary study used 16 young healthy drivers. Dr Schweizer says he now wants to expand the study to cover more age groups and, in particular, older drivers.
 
This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

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