DRIVING with your loved one in the car could prove dangerous if the conversation turns sour, academics have discovered.
New university research has found that arguing with a partner over the phone while driving, is actually safer than if they are sitting next to each other.
Drivers’ control over both speed and lane control suffers in the middle of a lovers’ tiff, as does their ability to spot potential obstacles, the study by staff at Heriot-Watt University found.
Dr Terry Lansdown, a senior lecturer in the school of life sciences, recruited couples from across Edinburgh to assist with his research, which was carried out in a simulator based on the university’s Riccarton campus.
Volunteers were asked to list the top five topics that cause disagreements in their relationships and discuss them in two different scenarios – one with the passenger in the car, and one with them talking to the driver on a hands-free mobile.
Dr Lansdown and his research partner, Dr Amanda Stephens of University College Cork, in Ireland, found that in-car tiffs affected drivers and non-drivers differently.
Drivers found in-car fights more stressful and it affected their ability to stay in lane and control their speed. In contrast, their partners found in-car fights less stressful and having the tiff over the phone was much more emotionally fraught for them.
Dr Lansdown said: “Our research shows it’s better to avoid contentious conversations altogether when driving, but especially if your partner is next to you in the passenger seat.
“If you sense you’re getting into an argument it’s best to try to avoid it or change the subject until you’re safely parked.
“The drivers’ partners found it more stressful to have a contentious conversation over mobile phone than when they were in the car. This is perhaps because they couldn’t judge their partners’ body language or make eye contact during the argument.
“It’s better for all involved to be safely parked if they suspect a difficult conversation is likely.”
Dr Lansdown and his team analysed both the drivers’ and the passengers’ anger and emotional distress, as well as the drivers’ distraction levels to measure how contentious issues affected driving behaviour.