A recent study reveals that talking on a cell phone while driving is more hazardous than talking to a passenger inside the car. Drivers make more mistakes while talking on a phone as opposed to talking to passengers riding in the car. The study has been published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology and it was led by Dr. Frank Drews at the University of Utah. He and his team tested 41 young adult drivers, who were paired with 41 friends in order to simulate real-world driving situations. The study led to the well-known conclusion that drivers talking on cell phones tend to drift around and have a difficult time adjusting to the changing environment around them.

This problem was partially solved by some state lawmakers, which forced all drivers to use Bluetooth or some other type of hands-free technology. However, critics say that trying to use Bluetooth is just an added distraction to a problem, and that the actual phone call is the distraction – not holding it. The study confirmed the critics' opinion, too, as passengers are able to act as a second pair of eyes to help drivers see possible dangers up the road. In addition, they realize when they must stop the conversation, depending on driving conditions, while someone on the phone does not know when to do this.

Researchers concluded that talking on a cell phone quadruples the chance of a driver being involved in an accident, while having a passenger reduces the chances of an accident. For example, while driving in the simulator, participants on mobile phones routinely missed their exit, while passengers in the car interrupted conversations to help remind drivers to take the exit. Unfortunately, the study's findings did not address cell phone texting, which has been involved in several fatal accidents.