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1. The issue of cell phones have become commonplace in
society that talking about one while driving is extremely
unsafe, but recent research has shown that if the person you
are talking to can see the road from your viewpoint, it can
markedly improve performance compared to conversations
where they cannot.

2. For years research has suggested that
passengers, while being deemed as
distractions to drivers, can actually prove to
be helpful to the driver, especially if the
passenger is an experienced driver.

3. Beckman Institute director and University of
Illinois psychology professor Arthur Kramer led a
research team to determine the true distraction
to drivers and the varying degrees of harm forms
of communication affect performance.

4. For the study, they set up three groups of
college-age participants who were subject to
different forms of distraction through verbal
communication while driving in a simulation
involving unpredictable cars.

5. The three test groups consisting of a driver
with a passenger, a driver talking on a hands-
free device, and driver communicating with
someone verbally who could see from the
driver's viewpoint.

6. The last group was a control group with only
a driver in the simulation with no
distractions.

7. The participants were graded on how well
they maintained their distance from other
cars, their speed, how effectively, they found
and used in the designated exit, and whether
or not they had any collisions.

8. Unsurprisingly, driving alone proved to be
the safest option of the 4 groups.

9. They had noticeably fewer accidents than
drivers with a passenger.

10. While passengers help keep track of road
conditions, exits, and some traffic they did
not, however aid in the accident prevention
and in some cases led to them.

11. Cell phone conversations with someone with
no knowledge of the driver’s viewpoint
inside or outside the vehicle were
significantly more dangerous.

12. Traffic accidents tripled compared to the
control group of a driver silently driving
alone.

13. Drivers who held conversations with callers
who shared the same viewpoint inside and
outside the vehicle displayed interesting
results.

14. These drivers were less likely to have a
collision than those whose cell phone
partner couldn't see what we’re going on.

15. Researchers noted that the conversation was
affected by the current road and traffic conditions
while the driver and the cell phone participant
talked and shared characteristics with those in the
passenger group.

16. Both groups showed that they aid the driver with
some aspects of safer driving, but ultimately are
less safe than driving alone, but significantly more
safe than talking to someone who has no
viewpoint on the road and traffic.

17. With accidents reduced by 40-50% just by having
the other person on the phone being able to see
what is going on, products like Google Glass could
allow for shared viewpoint driving in the not so
distant future.