Back in 1997 two researchers (Redelmeier and Tibshirani) completed a study to try determine which was more dangerous: driving while drunk or driving while talking on a cell phone.

They found that the hazards of driving with a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit of 0.08 percent were about the same as the hazards of driving while using a cell phone.

An experiment to see if those results would be repeated today was recently conducted by researchers at the University of Utah.

Their findings: Whether drivers are using a hand-held or a hands-free telephone, their braking time was longer, and they were involved in more accidents than they were without the cell phone.

But how does that compare to the experience of drivers under the influence?

The jury is still out. Cell phone users seem to have a slower reaction time but do not drive as aggressively as drivers using alcohol. Also, a cell phone user comes immediately back to full awareness after a sudden stop or swerving by surrounding vehicles. For the driver on alcohol, the numbing and distracting effects continue for hours.

That’s why, as a manager, you’d probably be far more upset at employees driving company vehicles while drunk than while calling for messages on a cell phone.