Back on topic. I don't see how people can be getting fined for talking on their cell phones. With a headset it is no more distracting than talking to a passenger.
False. Oh so very false.
They have done multiple studies of this and it proves other wise. it takes more brain power to talk to someone over the phone than a passager.
If you are talking over the phone your brain is trying and forming a mental picture of them and how they are reacting. If they are there in the car with you that is not done. That is a fair amount of brain power.
On top of that you since you are lossing body language your brain is trying to make up for that lost with the mental picture and trying to take a best guess on the rather large parts of missing information it does not have in body langage.
On top of that a passager has awareness of what is going on around the car and will adjust their convocation and reactions to account for it. They can see why it might take a long time to respond to a question. No so if they are on the phone.
Simple fact is when you are on the phone with someone more of your brain is lighted up than if they are in the room with you. That means more brain power is being pulled away from driving.