Talking on phone while driving makes spouse suspicious

Washington: Besides known dangers, chatting on cell phones while driving might make your partner suspicious.

A study by Paul Rosenblatt, social sciences professor at the University of Minnesota, and graduate student Xiaohui Li provides a speculative theoretical analysis on the topic.

"A delay in the conversation could be a problem if the person (spouse) on the other end of the conversation interprets the delayed reaction as an indicator of... hiding something. This all leads to upsetting the partner," Rosenblatt says.

"If we assume that the relationship risks involved in talking on a cell phone while driving are similar to the driving risks - both tasks involve divided attention and distraction - we can develop ideas about how a family relationship may be impaired," Rosenblatt says.

For example, studies have indicated that cell phone use while driving leads to slower reaction times on the road. This could translate to the driver's cell phone conversation as well.

And, what if the driver misses important details of the conversation? This could lead to misunderstandings and more hard feelings, he says.

"In general, cell phone usage while driving might lead to missed relationship, stop lights, slow reactions to dangerous relationship circumstances, loss of control of one's part of the interaction, and interaction mistakes that could lead to conflict, hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and possibly even serious damage to the relationship," Rosenblatt says.

The partner who is not driving might be worried about the driver's safety and may cut a conversation short so the driver can concentrate, but the driver might interpret that in a negative way.

In addition to the relationship problems created by talking on cell phone while driving, a number of problems arise that both people have when one of them is driving while talking on a cell phone.

The lack of visual cues including gestures, facial expressions and posture creates challenges. Poor cell phone reception and the noise from the automobile and the road can all contribute to misunderstandings, he says, according to a University of Minnesota release.

These findings were published in the current issue of Family Science Review.