Interesting study, A Comparison of the Cell Phone Driver and the Drunk Driver

When drivers were conversing on either a hand-held or hands-free cell-phone, their braking reactions were delayed and they were involved in more traffic accidents than when they were not conversing on the cell phone. By contrast, when drivers were legally intoxicated they exhibited a more aggressive driving style, following closer to the vehicle immediately in front of them and applying more force while braking. When controlling for driving conditions and time on task, cell-phone drivers exhibited greater impairment than intoxicated drivers.

That’s the abstract. Read on …

when participants were legally intoxicated, neither accident rates, nor reaction time to vehicles braking in front of the participant, nor recovery of lost speed following braking differed significantly from baseline.

Er, right. So, in this test, where the drunk drivers had a blood alcohol level of 0.8 wt/vol, whatever that means, they drove OK?!

[via Kottke]