What makes talking on the phone while driving more dangerous than talking to another passenger in your car? Does talking on speaker-phone mitigate any of this risk?

Question

What makes talking on the phone while driving more dangerous than talking to another passenger in your car? Does talking on speaker-phone mitigate any of this risk?

In: 26

Answer 1

Talking to the passenger loses less situation awareness. The passenger not only can act as an extra set of eyes on the road, since they are also in the same space as you, they will usually know when you need to focus and look away, or get cues from your body language and responses. Someone on the phone has no perception of where you are and what you are doing.