Cell Phones as Dangerous as Alcohol Intoxication on Roadway

"When driving conditions and time on task were controlled for, the impairments associated with using a cell phone while driving can be as profound as those associated with driving while drunk." That was the conclusion of Distraction.Gov, "The Official U.S. Government Web Site For Distracted Driving." I was reminded of the dangers of cell phone usage by my patient this morning, who fortunately survived a driver who reached for his cell phone and took his eyes off the roadway, all while traveling at highway speeds. The distracted driver crossed three lanes of traffic, striking my patient's car in the rear, which caused the struck car to spin out of control until it finally struck the guardrail. My patient was luckily unharmed. But police and government officials are stymied over how to stop people from reflexively answer their phones while behind the wheel of a 3,000 pound animal traveling at 55 MPH.* -- Paul Krawitz, M.D., President VisiVite.Com