Researchers sound alarm about the role of any and all phone sounds in distracted driving

You say you don’t answer your phone and wouldn’t dream of texting while driving?

Not good enough, say researchers from Florida State University, as the mere presence of that cacophonous device in a moving motor vehicle is enough to dangerously distract a driver:

Whether you are alerted to an incoming phone call or text by a trendy ringtone, an alarm bell or a quiet vibration, just receiving a notification on your cell phone can cause enough of a distraction to impair your ability to focus on a given task, according to a new Florida State University study.

In fact, the distraction caused by a simple notification — whether it is a sound or a vibration — is comparable to the effects seen when users actively use their cell phones to make calls or send text messages, the researchers found.

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