What is more dangerous when driving: talking on a cell phone or texting?

texting. It requires your eyes to be on a screen rather than on the road.

pete nailed it.

At least with talking on a phone you can use ‘Hands Free’ or Bluetooth.

Texting by far.

definitely texting.

Yes, but with talking on the cell phone, you are totally involved with another thing. With texting, you are just typing letters. When you’re talking on your cell phone, you’re involved in a whole conversation, and you must respond when they’re done talking. At least when texting, you can send them whenever you want.

Texting definitely adds an additional element of danger. I think “this study” sums it up very well:

“Text messaging and using iPods caused drivers to leave their lanes 10 percent more often in a simulated driving study conducted by researchers in the Clemson University psychology department.

The study tested drivers’ ability to stay in their lanes on a curvy road while they completed such tasks as talking on cell phones, text messaging and operating MP3 players. Although their reaction time may have been reduced, there was no reduction in lane-keeping for drivers who talked on cell phones. But for those who looked away from the road to use electronics, the difference was significant, according to Johnell Brooks, assistant professor of psychology.”

texting, good one pete

Texting for sure, but some people can’t talk on the cell phone and drive at the same time.

Here in California the new hands free law took effect July 1, 2008.

100% texting. I’ll admit it- I’ve texted while driving and almost drove into a fence. No more texting while driving for me. While on the phone at least your looking at the road. Both are bad though.

Seems like we’re all in agreement – so why didn’t California ban texting while driving like they did talking without a hand-free headset? I’m stumped.

I’m not in agreement.

Texting

@beast A fact is not something you can agree or disagree with. You could perhaps say you don’t care, you don’t want driving while texting to be against the law anyway, but the sun is going to come up tomorrow and texting while driving will still be more dangerous than talking on a cell phone whether you believe it or not.

This is a no- brainer, and so is texting while driving. What a moronic thing to do.

@Marina

What are you basing that on? Not a solid fact. I offered my counterpoint, and still stand by it.

I am basing it on controlled scientific studies showing that people texting went out of their lane far more often than people not texting.