Travelling with a passenger makes you a SAFER driver - but only if they are aware of road conditions

  • Study shows‘conversation partners’ who can see a driver’s view moderated their conversation according to what was happening on the road
  • This made the driver more aware of the road - and safer
  • Driving alone is the safest option and talking on a mobile phone the worst
  • University of Illinois scientists tested scenarios in a driving simulator 

By Sarah Griffiths for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

Talking on a mobile phone is a known driving distraction that can increase the chance of having an accident.

But scientists claim that talking to a passenger, who can see what the driver sees, may actual boost driving safety.

Research has shown that ‘conversation partners’, who can see a driver’s view, moderated their conversation according to what was happening on the road, making the driver more aware of the road.

Scientists claim that talking to a passenger who can see what the driver sees (pictured) may boost driving safety. Research has shown that ‘conversation partners’ who could see a driver’s view moderated their conversation according to what was happening on the road, making the driver more aware of the road

Scientists claim that talking to a passenger who can see what the driver sees (pictured) may boost driving safety. Research has shown that ‘conversation partners’ who could see a driver’s view moderated their conversation according to what was happening on the road, making the driver more aware of the road

‘We’ve done years of study on driver distraction and previous studies suggest that passengers often aren’t distracting,’ said Arthur Kramer, University of Illinois psychology professor and Beckman Institute director.

‘In fact, passengers can be helpful, especially if they’re adults who have had experience and also are active drivers themselves.’

For the study, the scientists set up four driving scenarios in a driving simulator: a driver alone, a driver speaking to a passenger, a driver speaking to someone on a hands-free mobile, and a driver speaking to someone who could see the driver and observe the driving scene via hands-free videophone.

The drivers encountered various driving challenges that included merging and navigating around unpredictable drivers in other cars, in the simulation.

The researchers tracked the drivers’ lateral moves, distance from other cars, speed, collisions, and ability to find and take a designated exit. 

They also recorded speech and tracked the driver’s eye movements.

Researchers were not surprised to find that driving alone was the safest option. There were significantly fewer collisions when drivers were alone in the simulated car than when they were speaking to a passenger in the car, but passengers helped drivers find their exits and improved their memory of road signs

Researchers were not surprised to find that driving alone was the safest option. There were significantly fewer collisions when drivers were alone in the simulated car than when they were speaking to a passenger in the car, but passengers helped drivers find their exits and improved their memory of road signs

They were not surprised to find that driving alone was the safest option, which previous studies have already shown.

There were significantly fewer collisions when drivers were alone in the simulated car than when they were speaking to a passenger in the car, according to the study, published in the journal Psychological Science.

Passengers helped drivers find their exits and improved their memory of road signs, but they detracted from overall safety, including the avoidance of collisions, Professor Kramer said.

This means that passengers make people a safer driver compared to when they're using a mobile, but it is not the safest option. 

The study found that speaking to someone on a mobile was the most dangerous of the scenarios, more than tripling the likelihood of a collision.

The most interesting results, however, occurred when a driver spoke to someone who wasn’t in the car but who could see what was happening via videophone.

Graduate student John Gaspar explained: ‘Drivers were less likely to be involved in a collision when their remote partner could see what they were seeing,’ Gaspar said. ‘And this benefit seems to be driven by changes in the way partners talked to the driver.’

The study found that speaking to someone on a mobile (stock image) was the most dangerous of the scenarios, more than tripling the likelihood of a collision

The study found that speaking to someone on a mobile (stock image) was the most dangerous of the scenarios, more than tripling the likelihood of a collision

Seeing the driver and watching what was going on in traffic during the conversation allowed the non-driving partner to stop speaking, for example, when something unexpected occurred on the road, or to point out a situation that might be dangerous.

‘Conversations with a partner on the videophone were very similar to conversations with a passenger,’ he said.

The findings demonstrate that a passenger or conversation partner can contribute significantly to the safety of the driving experience, Professor Kramer said.

‘There is no condition in which having the videophone information is worse than speaking on a cell phone; the collisions are reduced 40 or 50 per cent - that’s pretty big,’ he said.

‘I’m not suggesting people speak on cell phones while driving, but if the driver is speaking to someone who is not in the car, it would be helpful for the conversation partner to have information about what the driver is seeing and doing.’

...AND NOW THERE'S A 'TEXTING GUN' THAT STOPS DRIVERS USING THEIR MOBILE BEHIND THE WHEEL

A company has developed a 'texting gun' that can recognise the frequency of a text message, allowing police to fine people

A company has developed a 'texting gun' that can recognise the frequency of a text message, allowing police to fine people

One company claims to have developed a ‘texting gun’ that can recognise the frequency of a text message, allowing police to fine people for doing it.

Everyone knows that texting while driving is dangerous.In the UK it is illegal to use your phone at all when driving, while the law varies in the US from state to state - most allow phone calls but no texting.

Drivers caught using a phone in the UK can be charged up to £1,000 ($1,640) and also lose their license - although hands-free kits and sat navs are allowed.

These inconsistencies can make it difficult for police to work out if a person is being distracted by their phone or not.

This led to Virginia-based ComSonics to design a gun that can detect frequencies.

The device, called the Sniffer Sleuth II, is currently in production although no release date or price has been announced yet.

According to the Virginian-Pilot, it can discern the different frequencies from a text message, phone call and data transfer.

It apparently uses similar technology used by cable repairmen to find where a cable is damaged, who look for transmission ‘leaks’.

The device can apparently even work out which person in the car is texting, so it will not alert police to issue a fine if it spots frequencies from a passenger.

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