[sworkhard]

I'm still not convinced that talking hands free on your phone is inherently more dangerous than talking to a passenger in your car. However, I do know that talking hands free or to a passenger can keep you awake and more focussed when driving long distances. (without them, people tend to get lost in thought, or at least lose focus due to the monotony). A study has shown that singing in your car has the same effect.

To me, if the use of the device doesn't take your eyes off the road, its probably acceptable. Is it somewhat distracting? Sure it is, but much, much less so than say, day dreaming, which is a much bigger threat on longer drives than hands free phone use ever will be.

That being said, we absolutely need to find a way to get rid of texting/emailing and driving. Same thing with non-hands free phone use (impairment is possibly the same as hands free, but your ability to react quickly and safely is reduced due to having one arm stuck holding a phone to your ear).

However, don't make the mistake of thinking eliminating distractions will reduce distracted driving. Quite possibly, it will make almost no difference in road safety as many of these distractions are desirable by keeping us more alert when we need it most. (Music and adult passengers for example)