Mythbusters Tests Dangers of Cell Phones

Driving while talking on a cell phone is universally accepted as a dangerous activity. But how dangerous is it? Mythbusters, a television show that takes popular myths and urban legends and applies scientific testing and analysis to either confirm, bust, or mark as plausible, recently dedicated an episode to the idea that driving while talking on a cell phone is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.

A road safety test was designed to see how drivers responded to different driving scenarios. A male and female were chosen to complete the course three times: once with no distractions, once while talking on a hand-held cell phone, and once while being intoxicated just below the legal limit. Each part was graded by an instructor inside the vehicle.