Although a few telecommunication lobbyists might deny it, most of the world has come to accept that talking on a cell phone is distracting and that people who do it while they drive are much more likely to get into accidents. An increasing number of U.S. states and Canadian provinces have adopted traffic safety laws banning the use of cell phones while driving. But most of these laws cover only hand-held devices; drivers can still talk on their cell phone if they use hands-free technology.

However, the premise that cell phones are safe for drivers if they’re hands-free is a questionable one. Most of the research suggests that cell phone-induced distractions are the product not of dialing and operation of the device but of the actual conversation. So allowing drivers to talk on hands-free devices doesn’t solve the problem.

It was all but inevitable that Ralph Nader would get involved in this controversy. Nader’s organization, Public Citizen, claims that records it obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration via Freedom of Information Act requests show that the agency has known for at least six years that talking on hands-free cell phones while driving is just as dangerous as using a hand-held device.

“It’s a travesty that NHTSA kept secret factual information that could have saved lives,” according to Public Citizen’s attorney. If you want to see the supposed smoking gun documents that Public Citizen obtained from NHTSA, see, http://www.autosafety.org/foia-reveals-cell-phone-studies

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