Short Takes - 2005-02-04

Young motorists who yak on cell phones drive like old folks. A University of Utah study showed that when 18- to 25-year-olds were placed in a driving simulator and talked on a cellular phone, they reacted to brake lights from a car in front of them as slowly as 65- to 74-year-olds who were not using a cell phone. Drivers who talked on cell phones - regardless of whether they were young or old - were 18% slower in hitting their brakes. The study was published in the journal Human Factors.