Handsfree mobile phone is not safer in traffic.
A VTI study performed in the driving simulator shows that using a mobile phone with a handsfree kit is no safer in traffic than using a hand-held mobile phone.
The study shows that the attention of drivers is negatively influenced by a telephone conversation, whether it is with a handsfree or hand-held mobile phone. The participants were however a lot more positive about using a handsfree than a hand-held phone while driving. They also had the impression that their driving performance was better when using a handsfree than a hand-held phone. This was in spite of the fact that the study does not show any differences in driving performance between handsfree and hand-held mobile phones.
From the standpoint of traffic safety, it was found that it is more unsafe to ring up with a mobile phone than to talk with a mobile phone. Drivers attempted to compensate for handling the mobile phone by slowing down, but found it difficult to drive without deviating from a straight
course.
Two smaller experiments, involving reading SMS while driving and looking at a DVD film while driving, were also carried out. These two experiments ought to be extended so that more reliable conclusions may be drawn from them.