Hands Free Cell phones to be banned?

Priyanka TilveJul 02, 2006 12:30:54 IST

According to a study by the University of Utah, using a handsfree mobile kit while driving is as dangerous as drunken driving, and suggests that the use of mobile phones during driving should be banned. The study compared the behaviour of 40 drivers on a simulator under various conditions and found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.08 per cent.

The study comes months before fines for using hand-held phones in vehicles in the UK are doubled to £60. Those motorists will also have three penalty points added to their licences - which means if the points add up, one might be banned from driving altogether. Tougher penalties are expected to come into force early next year, which form part of the Road Safety Bill being considered by MPs and is due to become law later this year.