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I know there was a study and analysis a few years back that found the reason people are more distracted having a hands-free conversation in the car vs a convers

I know there was a study and analysis a few years back that found the reason people are more distracted having a hands-free conversation in the car vs a conversation with someone next to them is that the person on the other end of a phone call doesn't have awareness to your situation. So, while someone talking with you while sitting next to you in the car will naturally quite down while a change in driving conditions happens (or even alert you), the person on the phone is unaware of it and demands more of your attention. I can't recall when or where I saw the study, unfortunately.

Wistar 13y ago
Maybe from the same study... IN addition to citing the advantages of conversing with a situation-aware passenger vs an unaware phone-caller, the study summary also made much of their finding that there is a significant cognitive load devoted to visualizing the person at the other end of a phone call. This visualization is not needed when the person is in the car. It also mentioned that young children can cause dangerous distractions because they lack the knowledge to know when the driving has gotten tough.
sukuriant 13y ago
That would make sense, too. In my own driving experience, most of the people that ride with me in the car in the front seat are of the mind "We're looking at the road", not "the driver is looking at the road, so I don't have to" as their general attitude; and when I've been under the weather, driving poorly, they've been the first to comment and require a fix to it. As for the phone, they're also the hands that will affect my phone if we need to change settings on GPS or music or whatever, because they understand the safety precautions. So, what you say makes sense at least anecdotally and mentally.
- vacri 13y ago
  On a tangent, there seems to be an interesting difference in front-seat passengers who drive and those who don't. Often you'll see the drivers do a head-check with you as you approach an intersection. I have a few friends that don't drive, and I've never noticed any of them doing that subconscious check.

Wistar 13y ago

Maybe from the same study... IN addition to citing the advantages of conversing with a situation-aware passenger vs an unaware phone-caller, the study summary also made much of their finding that there is a significant cognitive load devoted to visualizing the person at the other end of a phone call. This visualization is not needed when the person is in the car. It also mentioned that young children can cause dangerous distractions because they lack the knowledge to know when the driving has gotten tough.

sukuriant 13y ago

That would make sense, too. In my own driving experience, most of the people that ride with me in the car in the front seat are of the mind "We're looking at the road", not "the driver is looking at the road, so I don't have to" as their general attitude; and when I've been under the weather, driving poorly, they've been the first to comment and require a fix to it. As for the phone, they're also the hands that will affect my phone if we need to change settings on GPS or music or whatever, because they understand the safety precautions. So, what you say makes sense at least anecdotally and mentally.

vacri 13y ago
On a tangent, there seems to be an interesting difference in front-seat passengers who drive and those who don't. Often you'll see the drivers do a head-check with you as you approach an intersection. I have a few friends that don't drive, and I've never noticed any of them doing that subconscious check.