Healthy living
Mind matters
Talking on mobiles addles drivers' brains
New study explains why drivers who chat on their mobiles are more likely to have an accident
Driving while using a mobile phone is more dangerous than you might think. A study published in the latest issue of the journal Neuron has found that the brain has difficulty doing two things at once.
The researchers think this happens because a 'bottleneck' occurs in the brain, slowing reaction times so that a person is no longer able perform the two tasks well.
"While we are driving, we are bombarded with visual information. We might also be talking to passengers or talking on the phone," says study author René Marois, a neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
"Our new research offers neurological evidence that the brain cannot effectively do two things at once. People think if they are using a headset with their cell phone while driving they are safe, but they're not because they are still doing two cognitively demanding tasks at once."
A group of volunteers were made to perform two tasks simultaneously. Subjects were asked to press a specific computer key in response to eight different sounds and call out a syllable in response to eight different images.
The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging techniques to monitor the activity of the brain. The team found that parts of the brain were unable to process two tasks at the same time, resulting in a bottleneck. However when there was a delay of a second between tasks the brain was able to function normally.
In the light of their findings, the US researchers recommend a complete ban on the use of mobile phones while driving.
The study comes at an appropriate time as the UK government has just announced stricter laws concerning the use of mobile phones while driving. From February 27 drivers caught using hand-held mobile phones will get three points on their licence as well as a £60 fine.
"Far too many motorists have been ignoring the mobile phone law and risking their own lives and those of others on the roads around them," said Kevin Clinton, Head of Road Safety at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).
"Using a mobile phone - whether hand-held or hands-free - while at the wheel makes you four times more likely to crash."
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.