In 2003, researchers at the University of Utah put 41 people in driving simulators. They drove once while talking on cell phones, once while drunk.

The drunks drove better.

The experiment sits amid a rising pile of evidence indicating that using cell phones contributes to traffic accidents. Like eating, shaving, yelling at the kids, putting on makeup, fiddling with the iPod and innumerable other non-driving activities that people do while driving, talking on the phone can put you in a ditch.

At least eight different studies — some done on highways, some in simulators, some with data analysis — demonstrate that chatting on a cell phone impairs a driver. The distraction factor is massive, obviously. Drivers on phones are more likely to blow through red lights and miss exits than non-chatting drivers. And faced with a situation that requires an emergency response, drivers on phones have slower reaction times.

What happens as a result? At least seven studies found a link between cell phone use and vehicle crashes, although they vary widely on the degree of risk. And all the crash studies have problems. Police accident reports don't always include information about whether a driver was on a phone when he or she crashed, and drivers themselves might not be too eager to confess that they were. So, some studies have tried to cross-reference accident times with phone company records, personal interviews, roadside surveys and driving records to find answers.

Hands-free devices don't seem to make much of a difference, by the way. Most studies found them only marginally safer to use than hand-held models.

The question remains: Is the danger great enough to justify banning cell phone use while driving?

Yes, we know that being able to stay in touch with family and friends is a convenience and, sometimes, simply fun. From a business perspective, clearly being able to work while you're in the car can increase efficiency.

But every driver shares the road with other drivers. Driving while phoning puts not just ourselves at risk but also the people riding with us and everyone in the cars around us.

Ideally, restrictions on using cell phones while driving would apply across a wide geographic area. Drivers would have a clearer idea of what the rules were where, and enforcement would be simpler. But sometimes, sensible ideas can get a foothold in smaller jurisdictions, prove their value and then be adopted more broadly.

Bans on mixing driving with cell phone use are in place in Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Washington and the District of Columbia, among other places. In weighing personal convenience and efficiency against public safety, we think safety wins out. In the meantime, the smart policy is to pull over to talk .

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