Bluetooth phone calls are dangerous, says new research

According to new research released by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), hands-free phone conversations are just as dangerous as hand-held phone calls.

Operating a mobile phone manually while driving attracts a fine of $365 and three demerit points in Queensland, but using a hands-free kit – via earbud cables, a mounting bracket or Bluetooth hands-free – is legal.

However, the new research shows that even with both hands on the steering wheel, having a phone conversation via Bluetooth hands-free is distracting, adding one second to reaction times.

According to the QUT research, the real-world consequences of this distraction are that it takes an extra 11 metres to come to a complete stop from 40km/h as a result of hands-free conversation. And for provisional or P-plate drivers that distance is even longer.

The researchers behind the new study observed a virtual road network system and experimented with driver reaction times to a pedestrian emerging in the driver's peripheral vision, and found that those having hands-free phone conversations took much longer to react.

QUT researchers said it was too early to recommend whether authorities should make hands-free mobile phone use illegal.

Dr Shimul Haque from QUT's Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety told the ABC that the brain's ability to visually scan for risks deteriorates during conversation.

"The human brain compensates for receiving increased information from a mobile phone conversation by not sending some visual information to the working memory.

"[That leads] to a tendency to 'look at' but not 'see' objects by distracted drivers," said Dr Haque.

Conversations with passengers in the same car had a less distracting effect according to the study. Dr Haque's team found that drivers tended to slow their pace when conversing with passengers in the car and were more aware of movement in their surroundings.

The research team hopes to continue studying the alarming discovery, widening it to find out how playing games, using social media and texting affects driver response times.

With Bluetooth phone technology now a key selling point in modern cars, and many car-makers planning to significantly expand its use to functions like voice-to-text and email, the research could have major ramifications for car companies in Australia, particularly if a state government acts on the new research and makes all car telephony illegal.