Talk, text in a car — Are you drunk!?

I have a hypothetical situation for you to consider. You are leaving a party and are faced with the option of riding shotgun with a buddy who’s knocked back a few gin and tonics or a friend who is constantly on the cell phone. Surprisingly, this is not a no-brainer.

A study out of the University of Utah reports that impairment to driving in a simulated situation while talking on a cell phone is as profound as driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent — the national legal limit.

But before you grab your phone to call a cab, your friend confidently whips out his fancy Bluetooth. This should not change your mind. Research has shown that hands-free calls while driving are no safer than handheld phones. Plus, they look incredibly lame.

It turns out that the mental concentration required for a phone conversation and not the challenge of driving with one hand is responsible for impaired reaction time and the accidents that ensue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that car crashes involving driver distraction claimed 5,870 lives and injured more than half a million people in 2009.

But if it is the talking itself that impairs reaction time, wouldn’t a conversation between the driver and a passenger be equally dangerous? Not necessarily. Someone sitting shotgun is more understanding if you stop mid-conversation to swerve away from a merging 18-wheeler.

In fact, studies confirm that passengers and the driver suppress conversation in times when concentration is needed (e.g. on campus where there is a crosswalk every three feet).

On the other hand, zoning out during a phone conversation may be interpreted as rude and elicit the standard snippy reaction: “Clearly you are not paying attention to me, so I’m going to go.” Many are willing to risk the dangers of multitasking in order to avoid drama on the home front.

The N.C. legislature has finally responded to the overwhelming evidence about the dangers of dialing and driving, but it does not appear to be working.

The state enacted a complete ban on text messaging while driving (a practice about as safe as letting a sleep-deprived 3-year-old behind the wheel), but only banned the use of both hands-free and handheld cell phones for bus drivers and those younger than 18.

Now all the police department needs to do is throw together a team of age-guessing carnies from the State Fair with good enough vision to spot a tiny headset in someone’s ear.

But enforcement of cell phone bans even appears to be a problem in states where the law applies to everyone. The Highway Loss Data Institute found no significant reduction in traffic crashes in states enacting a ban compared to states with no law.

But let’s be serious. Small fines and research showing the dangers of talking while driving will do little to dissuade people from picking up an important call. The hope is that drivers will be aware of these issues and either pick up to say that they will call back or keep the chat short.

So next time you think of taking a call or texting a friend, ask yourself whether you would take a few swigs from a bottle of Johnny Walker at the red light. If the answer is no, you might want to let it go to voicemail.

Andrew Moon is a second-year medical
student from Durham. E-mail him at andrew_moon@med.unc.edu