Study Offers New Insight on Distracted Driving

01/25/2010

A new study is providing some interesting new insights on people who think they can multitask while driving.

According to a study from the University of Illinois, driving reduces a person's ability to comprehend and use language. Before this study, much of the focus on this issue was centered on how talking on a cell phone behind the wheel undermines a person's ability to drive.

"You might think that talking is an easy thing to do and that comprehending language is easy. But it's not. Speech production and speech comprehension are attention-demanding activities, and so they ought to compete with other tasks that require your attention - like driving," said Gary Dell, a psychology professor at the university.

The study was said to involve participants in a driving simulator who were asked to recount details from a conversation they had had minutes before. Those who were driving in the simulator were said to have the most trouble recalling details of the conversation, and there was also some indication that older drivers had an even tougher time.

The study also helps demonstrate that while cell phones and texting devices account for much of the emphasis on the distracted driving discussion, other practices like eating behind the wheel and talking to friends in the car can also increase the danger of an accident that leads to injury or higher auto insurance rates.

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