Accident rate the same with/without hands-free phones

[Deja Q]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/index.php?p=1592

A study published by Suzanne McEvoy in the British Medical Journal concludes that drivers who use hands free cell phones are equally likely to get into car accidents as are drivers who do not. According to a CBSNews.com report about the study, the "researchers used cell phone records to compare phone use within 10 minutes before an actual crash with cell use by the same driver during the previous week." According to the abstract of the report, "Driver's use of a mobile phone up to 10 minutes before a crash was associated with a fourfold increased likelihood of crashing." The abstact goes onto say that the "risk was raised irrespective of whether or not a hands-free device was used" and that the increased risk was similar in men and women and was not age specific.

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