Bluetooth headset use plummets in the US, humanity celebrates a small victory
By Darren Murph 
posted September 6th 2009 3:34AM
posted September 6th 2009 3:34AM
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posted September 6th 2009 3:34AM
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Either this "news article" is an ironical joke with americans themselves or this is the most ignorant post ever! A small victory? Over what? Driving safely?
Jesus, you people are crazy!
I must agree with your assessment wholeheartedly!
You mean, except for the fact that multiple studies have shown that using a handsfree device does not increase driver safety?
BTW, it's not the act of holding the phone that's the problem. It's the act of actively dividing one's attention between the tasks of driving and holding a coherent conversation with a remote party that is unable to actively assess your driving and road environment.
I agree with you, but people should not use them outside of their car. Leave the bluetooth behind in the car when you arrive at your destination.
I'm one of those people who integrate themselves to their Bluetooth headset. I wear it everyday when driving, eating and at home to receive and call others while cooking but not of course working!
I do have a lanyard for my Jawbone. It makes it so much easier to take it off when not in use.
I think you got it backwards. Less headsets together with more texting is pretty bad.
Victor knows what he's talking about. Going hands-free has no measurable effect on safety whatsoever -- the only way to safely talk on a phone while in your car is to NOT BE DRIVING! Using a bluetooth headset, as opposed to holding a phone up to your ear, *seems* like it should have some sort of safety benefit, but in fact your attention is still just as divided, and the only difference is to make you *feel* better about talking on the phone while driving. This, of course, leads you to relax and exercise less caution than you would feel you ought to if you were holding a phone to your ear, negating any negligible safety benefit that might otherwise have resulted from ditching the handset.
These are scientifically demonstrated facts. Multiple studies have reached the same conclusion: cell phones are dangerous when driving, no matter if you're using a handset or a headset, it's the same! Your head isn't where it should be!
"Either this "news article" is an ironical joke with americans themselves or this is the most ignorant post ever!"
WRONG! Unless perchance you are referring to your own post.
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/local/article/79728
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Danger-of-Hands-Free-Bluetooth-Headsets&id=2152783
Saw a guy on the bus wearing a bluetooth, not talking on it. It's not jewelry! Needless to say I laughed directly at him.
@konshuss
Are you one of the biggest idiots to walk the Earth? What do you think people do with bluetooth headsets when not talking into them? Put them in their pockets? How the heck are they meant to answer a call? Oh i know the phones ringing, best pair the two devices, put it to my ear then click answer. Aww they've hung up by then.
i dissagree somewhat. for SOME people, using hands-free wouldnt make a difference in their safety because those people cannot multitask. I know I for one can hold a perfectly coherent conversation AND keep my attention to operating the vehicle at full safe capacity. What I know i cannot do is safely drive while holding a phone up to my ear, simply because it leaves me to drive with only one hand so it adds difficlulty. But when i get a call in my car as i'm driving, i dont whip out the bluetooth, i put on the speakerphone and leave the phone in my lap or something. but i can still drive in complete safety. Some people just cannot do that it seems.
like my buddy robert. if you talk to him even while sitting in the car, he doesnt know where he's going sometimes. its not that he's unsafe, he just doesnt pay attention to where he's driving to. he just drives. nevermind the fact that I just had to interrupt our conversation to tell him we should have turned right two lights ago. haha
BT sets have since evolved from meer earpieces to doing alot more than just picking up calls. Or is US so backward that few uses A2DP for wireless music enjoyment? I do that while commuting on a bus, train, or even on a plane, and on quite regular basis. When I drive, I pick up calls, but if the caller is getting to me, I simply "slam" the call. Why let them get to you when driving? Can't you guys do two things at once?
I have 2 BT headsets which I wear only when doing sports activities (climbing, skiing,sailing, biking, etc) not to answer business calls obviously but to increase safety and keep in touch with teammates and friends out of view.
For car use they are meaningless because most cars (probably all of them nowadays) come with integrated BT speakerphones and if yours does'nt have it a BT speakerphone is often cheaper and always more practical and versatile than any headset.
As with most thing in the world, from weapons to cell phones and their accessories, is not the object in itself that is stupid or evil, but the use that it's done with them.
While I certainly support the argument that the only safe way to use a mobile telephone in the car is to do so while the car is parked, I think the idea that a bluetooth headset is no less dangerous than holding the telephone is utter nonsense and these "scientific" investigations are flawed/wrong. Two hands on the steering wheel is always going to be safer than one. Your ability to react to an event will be reduced by not concentrating on the road fully but when you do react then you will do it better (whether that will be too late is open to debate).
Using a Bluetooth headset is just as dangerous as using a phone ?LOL
Yes and seat belts kill you and universal health care is stealth communism Americans will believe anything TV ads tell them !
This is an appalling article. Probably the worst I have ever seen on Engadget. Also whoever it was that tried to claim that driving with the handset held next to their head is the same as using a BT headset should go throw themselves off a bridge. It requires hardly any common sense at all to realise that is completely false - the articles you quoted are not evidence of anything. Just using common sense would tell you that using a BT headset whilst driving is no more distracting than talking to someone in the passenger seat. Even less so when you think there is less chance of you taking your eyes off the road to look or gesture at the person sitting next to you.
Show me REAL RESEARCH which has been published in a real peer-reviewed journal or from a well recognized institution that shows me some facts and also a good understanding of how they came up with these facts - not some magazine or newspaper article.
As someone else posted somewhere down below (spam_from_engadget) the UK government did studies on this kinda thing and found that using a hands-free kit was not as much of an impairment as having one drink (which is approximately the drink drive limit for most people) and driving. Using a handset next to your head was worse than the drink-drive limit by some significant margin.
We mostly drive manual transmission here though so I agree that has to be taken in to account as well.
@ryohazuki & darkmax - "Can't you guys do two things at once?"
No - and neither can you. What's especially amusing about your comments is the fact that you both assert that *you* can multi-task well, even if there are other people that cannot. The reason this is funny is that recent studies have shown that, not only do people *not* multitask well, but those who think they can are often especially bad at it. You can hear more about it here:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200908282
I'm providing a link to an MP3 stream so that the two of you can listen to it while you work, drive, watch television, whatever. Should be no problem for you, right?
thats what i was thinking, does engadget not realize that you can't talk on your phone in europe without some sort of headset or bluetooth? and that the US is one of the only stupid countries that doesn't require this rule (even though i do it myself, if it was illegal, it would probably drive me to using my bluetooth more)
@ Neil: Studies have shown that talking to someone on the phone is more distracting than someone in the car because you concentrate more on the conversation. Just because common sense says something doesn't mean it is correct.
It's about BT headsets, not handsfree carkits, is that so hard to get? Just because you could use a BT headset in a car doesn't mean dismissing a headset dismisses carkits.
And @konshuss, you laugh at people but you use public transport? Well I laugh at you for the sadness of a bus passenger thinking he's more 'cool' than the next joe, come on now.
I totally agree with substance90. It does increases driving safety. Those clowns who claims it doesnt, obviously never used it before. Ever tried holding a phone, looking at traffic while steering and shifting a gear, are you guys nuts? Either that or we have bunch of 15 year olds making comments they shouldnt make.
That said, I myself dont use a bluetooth headset, I prefer a wired one, but thats a given since I'm using an iphone and the bluetooth support on the pre-3G S phones sucks.
I am astounded and disgusted by the sheer arrogance of some of you people! Get it through your thick skulls: DRIVING WHILE DISTRACTED IS STATISTICALLY MORE RISKY THAN DRIVING WHILE IMPAIRED! That includes driving distracted by your #@$*-ing phone conversation! I don't care if you think you're invincible -- we, the sane people of the world, know that isn't the case! And WE are the ones who inevitably pay for your moronic actions!
Throw your own deluded selves off a bridge, and spare us your lunacy-driven homicide!
@Gad Get:
Besides the fact that had nothing to do with my point, on what planet are you on if you think that drink or drug driving is less dangerous (I assume this is what you define as 'impaired') than BT headset or hands-free use ('distracted'). Show me these "STATISTICS". I am a reasonable person. If you show me real proof I will accept it and as I said, proof requires a good source and good testing techniques. Tests that other people can replicate using sample sizes ranging from the same size as the original all the way to infinity and produce reliably similar results from.
Hold it, what do you mean by "you people"?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6090342-7.html
That's the third link I've had to go fetch using the power of Google. I can find more, if you insist.
http://bicycleuniverse.info/cars/cellphones.html
I can just keep spitting these out all day for you, but something tells me it won't make a difference.
http://www.hfes.org/Web/Pubpages/celldrunk.pdf
You just tell me when you've got the message.
And just a little video to pound it in to your brain a bit more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKbVWkVVU-k
http://www.switched.com/2008/03/07/using-cell-phone-while-driving-akin-to-driving-drunk-say-resear/
Perhaps (I'm just guessing here) the percentage has decreased because TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE OWN HEADSETS but THE SAME NUMBER OF PEOPLE USE THEM REGULARLY.
They've gotten way cheaper and are regularly included as bundles with new cell phone purchases.
Percentage isn't the only part of this statistic. Plus, they only checked 625 people and they report that instead of headsets, people are using pre-installed handsfree systems or bluetooth speakerphones in their cars. Just because they're not using the headset as regularly doesn't mean they're going back to holding it in their hand while driving!!
Well...it doesn't necessarily mean bluetooth headset use has plummeted since the study doesn't report total percent of people owning bluetooth headsets- only the percent of OWNERS and how they use their headsets. It's entirely possible under this study data that there are the same number or even more individuals using BT headsets regularly, it's just that the total number of BT owners increased drastically, with many infrequent users now. So it could be even more probable today to see people talking to ghosts.
I have a Jawbone. It works ok, except it constantly falls out. I have reverted to using a wired headset when I drive and talk. BTW, I agree, it does divide your attention to drive and talk, period.
A few rules:
1. Turn your ringer off EVERYWHERE except at home.
2. If you must wear a bluetooth and look like a Borg or a dorky typical Eurotrash disco-lover, than only wear it while you use it.
3. You are allowed to ignore phone calls. A little politeness wouldn't hurt, would it?
4. Did I mention turning your ringer off. You should never have to be told to turn your ringer off. Turn your ringer off.
Well, one can also make the point that the driver simply talking to a passenger in the car while driving has the same distraction effect as speaking on a cell phone directly or via bluetooth; so, should talking in a car be subject to a fine as well?
IT IS NOT ABOUT USE IN CARS
Look at this sentence: "we've yet to not be freaked out when walking up to someone who's apparently speaking to the ghost we can't see", does that sound he's talking about using it in cars?
The statements made about headsets do NOT mean he's against carkits, how dumb can you people get? Sigh, you hear me? SIGH.
Okay, here's a study for the BT-haters:
Driving while distracted by a phone conversation reduces safety.
Driving with one hand on the steering wheel is dangerous.
Doing BOTH at the same time is more dangerous than either one on its own!
How hard is that to understand?
@ Lumberjack Commando
I guess you missed my earlier links, so I shall repeat one of them for your benefit.
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/local/article/79728
Researchers who have done actual studies on the matter probably know better than you do, despite your clearly extensive knowledge on the matter. How hard is that to understand?
Gad that link is about reaction time... it compares reaction time while talking hands free and while not, it is not a study of the obvious problems incurred with one handed driving.
Try driving with one hand into, around and out of a roundabout with several gear changes, it's not possible.
In CA it's the law that people must use a hands-free device yet daily I see drivers yapping with their phones to their ears. I really don't get why people don't use:
1. BT headsets
2. Wired headseats
3. BT devices (parrot for instance)
4. Car-based BT
The worst is when I see someone in a car that definitely has BT and the owner is still holding a phone to his ear.
There is another reason why BT headset use in the EU will be greater than in the US and its the reason why I think you'll find most European drivers find using a BT headset safer than using their handset whilst at the wheel. In Europe (the UK especially) most cars on the road have manual transmission meaning you have to have both hands more readily available than when driving an automatic which (correct me if I'm wrong) is prevalent in most vehicles in the US..
Alright, fair enough. You can't drive a manual with one hand, so if you're driving a manual you better not be talking on a handset. But that doesn't change the fact that bluetooth headsets are dangerous to be using while driving. And as shown by the multitude of links I've provided, to various studies from various universities all reaching the same conclusion, they can in some cases be even more dangerous.
So, again, the only safe way to talk on the phone in your car is to pull over and park somewhere. I don't care if you use a bluetooth headset, or a speakerphone setup, or just pull out a handset... fact is you had better not be driving when you do it. PLEASE!!!
@Sam: you have to be kidding, right? Bluetooth earpieces have a specific application, such as if you need to use your hands for something else and CAN'T use the phone. What are you, a baby who needs to be permanently tethered to your phone like a pacifier? I can guarantee 90% of the time people are wearing one so they can look cool, and clearly seeing as you're one of those people vehemently defending it, I will continue to laugh at you as you sit, hands free and clear, no calls coming in for many hours... but still sporting a ridiculous flashing blue light strapped to your head. Diff'rent strokes, apparently.
I have a solution... it's something that's been done before and it worked quite well in the past...
Hang up the phone and drive.
One task, concentrate on it, pay attention to all the cars around you. Actively think about what they are/aren't going to do. Think of what your next move will be.
NOTHING in the world is so important it can't wait until you get to where you are going. I don't care what her name is.
I have a headset for when I need to talk when I'm driving occasionally. I think I've only used it three or four times. I feel so ridiculous wearing it.
Put VR goggles on 'em and we could maybe talk.
Actually, lose the "maybe".
I use a blue tooth headset, phone rings i put it in my ear and push the button, when i have finished i take it off and lay it back on my dashboard.
To summarize this article: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmOqjfn-20k&feature=channel_page
LOL! Good stuff! He's saying what we're all thinking!
I've had entire conversations with people who, as it turned out, were on the phone. Were they ignoring me or did they just think that I was using a headset too?
The only truism about bluetooth headsets is that the user is the only person on the whole planet that thinks they are important enough to wear one. Everyone else knows that the user looks like a complete idiot.
Who cares what other people think? I spend copious hours on conference calls where holding a telephone to my head is uncomfortable, plus makes typing or other actions difficult. A headset makes perfect sense in almost all situations when placing/receiving a telephone call - what it looks like to other people is completely immaterial.