Maybe That Call Can Wait

(AP)  Using a cell phone - even a hands-free one - while driving quadruples the risk of getting into a crash with serious injuries, a study finds.

Research released Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests that using a hands-free device instead of a handheld phone while behind the wheel will not necessarily improve safety.

"You'd think using a hands-free phone would be less distracting, so it wouldn't increase crash risk as much as using a handheld phone. But we found that either phone type increased the risk," said Anne McCartt, one of the study's authors and the institute's vice president for research.

The study found that handheld devices were very slightly riskier than hands-free ones, but the difference was not statistically significant.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found no difference in the risk posed to male and female drivers or to drivers older and younger than 30.

More motorists are using cell phones on the road than ever, and lawmakers are grappling for ways to reducing driver distraction.

Talking on handheld cell phones while driving is banned in New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. In Connecticut, drivers will have to use hands-free devices beginning Oct. 1. Some cities, such as Chicago, Santa Fe, N.M., and Brookline, Mass., require hands-free devices in automobiles.

Eight states - Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma and Oregon - prevent local governments from restricting cell phone use in motor vehicles, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The study found injurious crashes were four times as likely when drivers were using cell phones.

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