Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah who worked on the study, said: "If legislators really want to address driver distraction, then they should consider outlawing cell phone use while driving."More details over here.
The researchers used a driving simulation device for their study, published in the summer 2006 issue of Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
They studied 40 volunteers who used a driving simulator four times - while undistracted, using a handheld mobile phone, using a hands-free mobile phone and while intoxicated to a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level (the average legal level of impairment in the US) after drinking vodka and orange juice.
Mobile phone driving as bad as being drunk
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Researchers found that people who talk on mobile phones while driving, even using handsfree devices, are as impaired as drunk drivers.