Which is more distracting for drivers: being emotionally agitated or activities like using a hand-held cell phone?
New research from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute provides some answers.
Turns out being emotionally agitated is the bigger risk, according to the researchers.
Someone who is observably angry, sad, crying or emotionally agitated is almost ten times more likely to experience a crash. Drivers more than double their crash risk when they engage in distracting activities that require them to take their eyes off the road, including reading emails or texts, or using a vehicle touch screen.