clipped from www.theage.com.au

USING a hands-free mobile phone behind the wheel could be more dangerous than drink driving, new research has shown.

Motorists under the influence of alcohol performed better than those driving while talking on a hand-held or hands-free phone, the study by Britain's Transport Research Laboratory found.

It also found that the risk of a crash was four times higher when the driver was on the phone.

The laboratory's Nick Reed said the latest research Conversations in cars: the relative hazards of mobile phones , showed that drivers revealed a significant impairment when making mobile phone calls while driving. "In some aspects of driving behaviour, speaking on a mobile phone is worse than being at the legal alcohol limit," he said. (The limit is 0.8 in Britain).

"The observed impairment was similar regardless of whether the call was made using a hand-held phone or using a hands-free kit."