Cell phones 'age' young drivers, study says

A new University of Utah study has produced more evidence suggesting people who drive while talking on cell phones are putting themselves and other motorists at risk.

The latest study, conducted by U. psychology professors David Strayer and Frank Drews, looked at the effect of cell phone use on drivers between the ages of 18 and 25.

Its findings: Talking on a cell phone drastically reduces alertness and reaction times and significantly increases a driver's risk of accidents.

"If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone," Strayer said. "It's like instantly aging a large number of drivers."

A report on the study was printed in the winter edition of "Human Factors," a quarterly journal published by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. The results also have been reported in the national media this week.

The study placed the young drivers on vehicle simulators and recorded their reactions to various traffic conditions while they had conversations on cell phones. Their reactions to brake lights being applied by vehicles in front of them were roughly the same as the reactions of 65- to 74-year-olds who were not talking on cell phones, the study found.

"If you want to act old really fast, then talk on a cell phone while driving," Drews said.

The older drivers reacted even more slowly when they were given cell phones.

Here are some other findings of the study:

• Drivers on cell phones were twice as likely to have a simulated rear-end collision than drivers not using a cell.

• Drivers talking on cell phones, regardless of age, were 18 percent slower in hitting the brakes than drivers not using phones.

• Drivers on cell phones tended to allow a 12 percent greater distance between their own vehicles and the car in front of them, apparently in an attempt to compensate for paying less attention.

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