# California cell headphones dangerous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 4, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848 "2008-08-04T22:25:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/1 "2008-08-04T22:25:02Z")
As the members of the Teeming Millions from the Golden State know, since July 1 it has been illegal for a driver to use a cell phone (with a few exceptions, such as making an emergency call) without a hands-free device while behind the wheel. Another statute in the Vehicle Code prohibits headphones over _both_ ears, so the devices, like the Bluetooth, feed only one ear. But I bought a simpler device that cost about $25 that is an ordinary one-ear headphone with a button to answer the phone while driving. So far I’ve had ony two people comment adversely about this device. My mother seems to think that if a cop sees me using it, I’ll get pulled over and cited. A lawyer I know says the devices emit microwaves that can harm the ear. Is any of this correct? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/2 "2008-08-04T22:41:41Z")
Get legal advice from a lawyer, not technical advice. A wired headphone doesn’t emit any “microwaves”, although Bluetooth headphones (and cell phones) do. But, so what? There’s never been a study that has conclusively determined any health risks attributable to cell phone usage **regardless** of what a particular cancer researcher has to [say](http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/373306_cellfonoma02.html) about it. As far as the CA law goes, one ear is one ear, no? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/3 "2008-08-04T23:23:32Z")
[QUOTE=dougie\_monty] My mother seems to think that if a cop sees me using it, I’ll get pulled over and cited. [/QUOTE] Your mother is incorrect. Here is the relevant statement: **Q: Will it be legal to use a Bluetooth or other earpiece? A: Yes, however you cannot have BOTH ears covered.** From the California DMV site (scroll down) [California DMV FAQs](http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/4 "2008-08-05T00:21:38Z")
dont get me started on that law… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/5 "2008-08-05T00:42:58Z")
There is no known direct risk from the cell phone use itself, no matter what sort of speaker you have next to your ear. Well, I suppose that if you have the volume too high, it could damage your hearing, but you already knew that. However, using even a hands-free, single-ear phone _while driving_ might be enough of a distraction to be dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/6 "2008-08-05T05:21:10Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] However, using even a hands-free, single-ear phone _while driving_ might be enough of a distraction to be dangerous. [/QUOTE] It would seem, IMHO, that this would be the case if I were calling someone while behind the wheel. I don’t do that. I just get a call and reach up with my right hand to push the button on the device–about as distracting as adjusting the controls on my radio. As for talking, well, I’ve had people in the car while driving and have been in long conversations; no interference with driving. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/7 "2008-08-05T13:07:11Z")
[QUOTE=dougie\_monty] As for talking, well, I’ve had people in the car while driving and have been in long conversations; no interference with driving. [/QUOTE] Talking to someone on the phone is not the same as talking to someone in the car. It might seem like it, but studies (I don’t have the cites) show otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/8 "2008-08-05T15:12:48Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] Talking to someone on the phone is not the same as talking to someone in the car. It might seem like it, but studies (I don’t have the cites) show otherwise. [/QUOTE] What **Tm** said. Using a hands-free system increases the risk of an accident less than using a cell normally but more than normal in-car conversation. > **[HR Hero](https://hrhero.blr.com/)** ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/9 "2008-08-05T18:51:26Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] What **Tm** said. Using a hands-free system increases the risk of an accident less than using a cell normally but more than normal in-car conversation. > **[HR Hero](https://hrhero.blr.com/)** [/QUOTE] Well, I’m an experienced driver (39 years) and in the short time I’ve had the headset, I’ve determined that it is easier and less distracting to use it than to try to hold the cell phone up to my ear and drive at the same time. I understand what you’re saying but I feel the odds are in my favor. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![constantine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@constantine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constantine)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/10 "2008-08-05T21:31:19Z")
[QUOTE=dougie\_monty] Well, I’m an experienced driver (39 years) and in the short time I’ve had the headset, I’ve determined that it is easier and less distracting to use it than to try to hold the cell phone up to my ear and drive at the same time. I understand what you’re saying but I feel the odds are in my favor. 🙂 [/QUOTE] That’s not the point. The point is that driving with a hands free headset is still more dangerous than 1. driving without talking on the headset 2. driving while talking with another person who is in the car with you. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/11 "2008-08-06T05:37:00Z")
[QUOTE=constantine] That’s not the point. The point is that driving with a hands free headset is still more dangerous than 1. driving without talking on the headset 2. driving while talking with another person who is in the car with you. [/QUOTE] Well, if you know a better way, tell me. It’s handy when someone I’m driving to meet calls and tells me never mind. The immediate advantage is that it saves gas and my time; I don’t know a better way to do it. And if you think it’s more dangerous, quote me some statistics about cell phone use in cars (National Safety Council), etc. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/12 "2008-08-06T13:11:02Z")
The study posted above was published in the British Medical Journal. Is that not good enough for you? [British Medical Journal](http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/bmj.38537.397512.55v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=cell+phone+crash&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1123709031084_13061&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=1) Here are some others: > **[Are Hands-free Cellphones Really Safer?](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707142838.htm)** > > It seems everyone's driving, even walking, with tiny electronic devices tucked into their ears. Conventional wisdom says they're safer. With wireless technology such as Bluetooth becoming commonplace, you can still conduct business or order pizza... > **[Study Shows Hands-free Cell Phones Dangerously Distracted Drivers' Attention](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041115002339.htm)** > > Driving with one hand on the wheel and another on a cell phone has led to legal restrictions and proposals to require drivers to use hands-free phones. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have tested the hands-free approach... > **[Hands-free cellphone use while driving won't make the roads safer, studies...](https://www.latimes.com/business/la-he-cells30-2008jun30-story.html)** > > California will put findings to the test with a hands-free cellphone law that takes effect July 1. > **[Pac-12 students launch esports organization | UNews](https://unews.utah.edu/pac-12-students-launch-esports-organization/?r=062206-1)** > > The University of Utah’s esports program along with student video game clubs from 10 other Pac-12 universities have formed a new unofficial esports organization to compete in multiplayer video games including the popular titles “League of Legends,”... [http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=963](http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=963) ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/13 "2008-08-06T18:32:51Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] The study posted above was published in the British Medical Journal. Is that not good enough for you? [British Medical Journal](http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/bmj.38537.397512.55v1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=cell+phone+crash&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1123709031084_13061&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=1) Here are some others: > **[Are Hands-free Cellphones Really Safer?](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707142838.htm)** > > It seems everyone's driving, even walking, with tiny electronic devices tucked into their ears. Conventional wisdom says they're safer. With wireless technology such as Bluetooth becoming commonplace, you can still conduct business or order pizza... > **[Study Shows Hands-free Cell Phones Dangerously Distracted Drivers' Attention](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041115002339.htm)** > > Driving with one hand on the wheel and another on a cell phone has led to legal restrictions and proposals to require drivers to use hands-free phones. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have tested the hands-free approach... > **[Hands-free cellphone use while driving won't make the roads safer, studies...](https://www.latimes.com/business/la-he-cells30-2008jun30-story.html)** > > California will put findings to the test with a hands-free cellphone law that takes effect July 1. [http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=062206-1](http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=062206-1) [http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=963](http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=963) [/QUOTE] Before I go reading the text in those links, why not sum it up for me? Do you think I should leave my cell phone at home or take it with me in the car (but shut off)? I like to think I can see the forest despite the trees. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/14 "2008-08-06T20:42:45Z")
They’re all pretty short and comprehensible articles. They basically say that talking to someone on a cell phone, even with a hands free set, is fundamentally more distracting then talking to someone in the car, or talking to no one. If you must receive calls in the car, make them short and call them back later. One of the cites was that people talking on cell phones (hand held or hands free didn’t make much difference) increased the likelyhood of an accident by a factor of 4. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/15 "2008-08-07T05:14:03Z")
I think I’d be less interested in “studies” than actual trraffic statistics. California’s law hasn’t been in effect long enough to make or break the matter. Besides, I’m suspicious of psychologists telling me to do this or that (or not to do it). Sounds like Technocracy. Is the Talmud this controlling? ---
**Author:** ![constantine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@constantine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constantine)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/16 "2008-08-07T05:19:18Z")
[QUOTE=dougie\_monty] Before I go reading the text in those links, why not sum it up for me? Do you think I should leave my cell phone at home or take it with me in the car (but shut off)? I like to think I can see the forest despite the trees. [/QUOTE] We are summing it up for you: If you talk on a cellphone, even with hands free, you are increasing your risk of an accident. In response, you keep saying that you don’t care what the studies say because you feel like the odds are in your favor and it is inconvenient to avoid talking on the cellphone when you drive. I don’t think you are looking at either the forest or the trees. It seems like you are just denying the existence of both because you find the fact of their existence inconvenient. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/17 "2008-08-07T13:03:06Z")
[QUOTE=dougie\_monty] I think I’d be less interested in “studies” than actual trraffic statistics. California’s law hasn’t been in effect long enough to make or break the matter. [/QUOTE] But other laws have been. Read the cites - they’re based on actual traffic statistics. This is pretty basic science here, you seem to want to deny the possibility. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/18 "2008-08-08T04:39:16Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] But other laws have been. Read the cites - they’re based on actual traffic statistics. This is pretty basic science here, you seem to want to deny the possibility. [/QUOTE] Yeah, science is all-knowing. :rolleyes: You seem to be interested in killing only, not planting. And so far you’ve made me regret that I brought the matter up in the first place. And you must think I am a mindless scatterbrain unable to keep my mind on driving. This is insulting. I seek a sensible approach to using a cell phone in a car but you–and those studies–seem to affirm that “sensible” means leaving the cell phone at home, or throwing it away. (In the car, I’ve found it valuable when I had to call the Auto Club and pay phones were inaccessible.) This seems to boil down to you and your scientists versus the California legislature. As I said above I have had serious misgivings about posting the OP. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/19 "2008-08-08T11:41:56Z")
[QUOTE=dougie\_monty] And you must think I am a mindless scatterbrain unable to keep my mind on driving. This is insulting. I seek a sensible approach to using a cell phone in a car but you–and those studies–seem to affirm that “sensible” means leaving the cell phone at home, or throwing it away. (In the car, I’ve found it valuable when I had to call the Auto Club and pay phones were inaccessible.) This seems to boil down to you and your scientists versus the California legislature. As I said above I have had serious misgivings about posting the OP. ☹ [/QUOTE] I’m not sure where you are coming from. You asked a question. There are studies that answered the question directly, based on the data you were interested in. It’s pretty clear that driving while talking on a cell phone is more dangerous then driving without talking on a cell phone. No one has said don’t bring a phone in the car. If you can pull over to talk that’s clearly the safest thing. Calling AAA for help is a standard use of a cell phone and no on is arguing otherwise. If you need to answer the phone, it makes sense to make a quick response and then call them back when it’s safer to do so. I always have my phone with me, and will answer calls that come in. I even place calls from time to time. But I do so with the acknowledgment that I’m not able to concentrate on my driving as much when I’m doing so and I try to get off the phone as quickly as possible. They’re not “my scientists” vs anybody. You wanted studies, I found the studies for you. I’m not trying to bash anyone. I don’t think you’re more scatterbrained then anyone, myself included. But I’d answer the same way to someone who said they are fine driving after drinking – **the statistics show that you are more likely to be in an accident if you are talking on the cell phone then if you are not.** It’s possible that you are the exception to the rule, but that’s not the way to bet. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848/20 "2008-08-08T13:54:18Z")
The point to the studies is that doing ANYTHING that distracts your attention from the task of driving increases your chance of an accident. It has nothing to do with the fact your hands are on a phone, or a can of soda, or a razor. It has to do with where your attention is directed, and the effect this has upon your ability to see, notice, and react to conditions around you that potentially lead to accidents. It is not surprising that conversing on the phone is different from conversing in the car, though I suspect statistics would show that conversing in the car is distracting and has some effect, too. But when conversing with someone in the car, that person is also focused (usually), on the same thing you are: conditions around the car. The conversation will often wax and wane depending upon the factors around the car; the non-driving converser will also notice potentially dangerous situations and either react or at lease let the conversation lapse until the situation has passed. The person on the other end of the phone can’t tell what you are doing, can’t see that you are approaching a dangerous intersection, for example, and blythly continues talking. But make no mistake. Distracting yourself while driving is more dangerous than not distracting yourself. If I’m not mistaken, the studies show the increased factor of accident is greater than the increased factor caused by driving while under the influence of alcohol. That OUGHT to make people sit up and take notice. :eek: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-cell-headphones-dangerous/458848.md?page=2)