Insights from the Editor

Whenever I see others driving erratically, the first thing I suspect is that they're yakking on their cell phones and not paying attention to the road. And that's often indeed the case.

But what about conversing with other passengers? Isn't that just as distracting as talking on a cell phone? It's a question that psychology professor David Strayer and his colleagues put to the test in their driving simulator lab at the University of Utah. Click here to watch a clip of the simulator.

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, found that cell phone users made more mistakes than those chatting with other passengers. They were more likely to drift out of their lanes and less likely to exit at the correct location. In short, they were more distracted.

So why is this? Unlike people on the other end of a phone, passengers typically know to clam up when the driver needs to concentrate. And they can serve as a second pair of eyes, pointing out potential hazards or helping with directions. Hear more about this from Dr. Strayer.

In general, adult drivers accompanied by other passengers are less likely to have an accident than those motoring solo. Of course, who the passengers are can make a difference. If you're stuck with a carload of screaming kids or a carping backseat driver who makes you nervous, you're probably safer going it alone. Just stay off the phone.