USING a hands-free mobile phone is more distracting than talking to other passengers or adjusting the radio, according to the latest study.

Research completed by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) showed that drivers on an 11-mile simulator route recorded slower reaction times and missed potential hazards when using a hands-free phone while driving.

A spokesman at TRL, said: ‘The rate of talking, the number of pauses, number of errors and performance on verbal and numerical reasoning tasks all deteriorated when driving at the same time. Hands-free phone conversations impair driving performance more than these other common in-vehicle distractions.’

To purchase a PDF of the report £30 visit the online store at www.trl.co.uk.