I have posted about the danger of talking and driving a couple of times. But just to set the record straight, here’s the research.

University of Utah study: Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year. A 20-year-old driver with a cell phone has the same reaction times as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone.

University of Toronto study: Drivers talking on cell phones are four times more likely to cause an accident than non-phoning drivers. The study also found that “hands free” devices do not have any added benefit.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study (conducted in Australia): People using a cell phone were four times as likely to get into an injury accident, regardless of whether they were using a hand-held or hands-free device.

So, multiple studies across the globe with nearly identical results. Talking and driving makes you four times more likely to be in a wreck, which is roughly the same statistic for drivers with a 0.8 blood alcohol level. Yes, people. No matter how safe you think you are, when you’re on your phone, you are equivalent to a drunk driver. (See even more related studies here.)

Finally, some local governments are doing something about it. Lawrence, Kansas is looking into a city ordinance to ban all cell phone driving, hands-free or otherwise. Obviously there are enforcement issues, but at least they’re doing something. In Lawrence, if you are in a wreck and the city can prove you were on your cell phone, expect to receive an additional $120 ticket for inattentive driving along with a $100 fine for violating the ban.

New York became the first state to ban cell phone use by drivers four years ago and several states have followed suit, but all still allow hands-free devices. Thus the Lawrence ban would be the strictest ban so far.

If you talk and drive, (Do I have to say it again? Apparently so.) STOP IT!!