Mobiles a 'road safety threat' • Using mobile phones while
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driving increases the probability of being involved in an accident by 400%—and hands-Free phones are just as dangerous, warns a recent Canadian study.
Drivers are most at risk of having an accident either during the call or within 10 minutes of making it: not because they have difficulty holding the phone and driving but because their attention is distracted.
The study by researchers at the University of Toronto, looked at nearly 700 drivers who had been involved in accidents, comparing them with 6,000 other accidents.
The study's findings are likely to trigger calls for legislation banning using phones while driving, It is not an offence in the UK but police have charged motorists making calls on the move with driving without due care and attention. iZt Switzerland, Brazil, Israel and two Australian states currently ban phoning while driving.