Talking on a cellular telephone while driving can be productive and glamarous. Is it also dangerous ? Some people say "yes" and tell stories about using a telephone and getting into an accident. Other people say "no" and support their position by three arguments. First, cellular telephones allow drivers to call ahead when running late and travel with increased peace of mind, thereby decreasing their risk of a collision. Second, the huge growth of this technology in recent years (with the number of subscribers increasing from 0% to 10% of the population in less than a decade) has not been accompanied by a dramatic increase in collision rates. Finally, drivers face many other distractions (such as eating and talking with passengers) so that singling out cellular telephones seems unjustified. In this article the authors describe a study that examined whether cellular telephones are hazardous. At the end they rebut these three arguments and answer the provocative question in the title. (A)
Abstract