[telecom] Study says drivers, not cellphones, pose the accident risk

Cellphones' role in crashes doubted

Study says drivers, not cellphones, pose the accident risk

By Hiawatha Bray | GLOBE STAFF AUGUST 27, 2012

Don't blame the technology.

For those who argue that a ban on cellphone use while driving will make highways safer, there's bad news: People who chat behind the wheel often drive more aggressively even after they hang up, according to a study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

"The people who are more willing to frequently engage in cellphone use are higher-risk drivers, independent of the phone," said Bryan Reimer, associate director of MIT's New England University Transportation Center. "It's not just a subtle difference with those willing to pick up the phone. This is a big difference."

Reimer and a team of MIT researchers studied the behavior of 108 Greater Boston drivers. About half acknowledged frequent phone use when driving; the rest said they rarely used their phones behind the wheel.

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Posted 5 years ago by Monty Solomon in General Telecommunications Forum

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