Driving while yakking.

• Author: Malachowsky, Jeff
• Position: THE ETHICIST: Life's full of questions; he's got answers. - Brief article - Column

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Family members and friends often ask me to call them on their cellphones while they're driving. I think that driving while talking on the phone is dangerous, and research studies support this. If I do call people while they're driving, I may endanger them and others on the road. What should I do? Jeff Malachowsky, Portland, Oregon

DON'T MAKE THAT CALL. Or blindfold a driver or bang a pair of cymbals near his head or do anything else that significantly ups his odds of getting into an accident.

Talking on a cellphone while driving does just that. Some studies liken the increased risk to that of driving drunk. Although other activities may distract a driver--listening to the radio, for example--talking on a cellphone is particularly hazardous. For a driver to deliberately increase his own peril is unwise; to endanger other people is unethical. You should not be a party to either.

Incidentally, the increased risk is a cognitive problem, a shift in concentration from the...