One More for the Road?

BOSTON: A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that talking on the phone while driving is nearly as dangerous as driving drunk. The study, which was conducted in Canada, found that using a cellular phone increases the risk of an accident fourfold, the same as driving while intoxicated. And it doesn't matter what kind of phone it is. The results were the same with a hands-free model as with standard hand-held telephones. The study did note that the phones provide some safety benefits. Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed used their phones to call 911 after they crashed.