Is it safe to drive while talking on your cell phone?

This is a good question! We chat with passengers and listen to music or books on tape while driving. These things can distract us, but there is no evidence that links these activities with an increased rate of driving accidents. Talking on a cell phone is another story, but the question is Why? The answer may surprise you. British scientist Andrew Goldsworthy, Ph.D. says “No, it’s not safe to drive and talk on your cell phone." He suspects the increase in auto accidents among cell phone users (a driver is on a cell phone in 1 of every 4 accidents) has less to do with distraction and more to do with a delayed response caused by the flooding of calcium ions into brain cells. This flood creates what he calls “mental Fog” of false information, obscuring the ability to react quickly to situations like a child on a bike pulling out between two cars, a deer bounding from the woods at dusk, or a car already in the lane you’re attempting to move into but did not notice. Anne Louise Gittleman explains this in her book Zapped.