People who drive while talking on the phone are most likely to blame for traffic increases, at least according to a new study from the University of Utah.

Even when using a hands-free headset, cell talkers “just don’t keep up with the flow of traffic.” And when they’re a part of commuter traffic clogs, they move at an average of 2mph slower than the average phone-free driver.

From the article:

“The distracted driver tends to drive slower and have delayed reactions,” said Strayer, whose study will be presented later this month to the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. “People kind of get stuck behind that person and it makes everyone pay the price of that distracted driver.”

Cell users, on average, take 3% longer to reach a destination through highly congested traffic. And when you consider that nearly 1 in 10 drivers is talking on the phone, it can add up pretty quickly.

The most alarming thing to me about this survey is that they project the number of cell-chatting commuters at a mere 1 in 10. That, to me, is ridiculously low. Feels like every driver I see on the road is gabbing away, but maybe that’s just my perception. Or maybe I only drive on roads that teenagers drive on.

And I’ll go ahead and tell you that I talk on the phone while I’m driving. So I guess the next time you’re stuck in traffic, you can blame me. Sorry about that. Couldn’t be helped.

Oh, and let’s not forget this recent study that says that people driving while sending text messages cause accidents (Yeah, I know…from the Well, Duh Center for Research & Obvious Findings). What person in their right mind says, “Yeah, I know I’m driving…but I think I’ll send a text message”?! Wouldn’t it be less distracting and use fewer of your hands to simply call that person you’re texting…considering you need at least some of your appendages to operate the vehicle?

What I want to see is a study about how much traffic congestion is caused by people who put on makeup while they drive… or people flipping through their CD storage case while driving. I guess this study could just as well read “people who carry on conversations with their passengers while driving cause traffic congestion” because the real problem is that their not focused on driving… they’re laughing at something Billy said in the back seat. Driving, of all things, is the worst candidate for multitasking. I, for one, am calling for an immediate ban on doing anything while driving except for the driving itself. I know, I know…it’s a revolutionary idea.