Group conference conversations are common for many workers during the Covid-19 shutdown, as virtual chats replace face-to-face meetings.
But anyone tempted to take a long conference call while they are behind the wheel could be heading for trouble.
While it’s not illegal to make conference calls using a hands-free kit, the habit could be increasing your risk of having an accident, according to experts.
And you could still face prosecution if you’re distracted enough that your "standard of driving" takes a nose-dive.
James O’Malley, company director of leading UK leasing firm Select Car Leasing, is urging motorists to think twice about hands-free conference calls in the car.
He warned: “There’s nothing in the law that distinguishes regular mobile phone calls from group conference calls. As long as you can operate your phone without physically touching it, it’s not illegal to make calls using it.
“But it’s our fear that the surge in popularity of group conference calls has created an emerging threat for motorists.
“There has been much research to suggest that having a conversation while driving creates a distraction that significantly increases the risk of having an accident.
“It therefore stands to reason that if you’re trying to concentrate on four, five or six speakers in a large group conversation, the potential to be distracted increases exponentially.
“We’d urge anyone contemplating taking part in a conference call while on the go and behind the wheel to simply pull over and do it from the safety of the nearest car park instead.”
Research conducted in 2008 by the government-funded Transport Research Laboratory found hands-free phone calls make drivers four times more likely to have an accident – with concentration levels reduced for 10 minutes even after the call has ended.
The use of conferencing software has surged since coronavirus social distancing measures were first introduced in March.
Computing giants Microsoft said it had seen a 1,000 per cent increase in the use of its "Teams" facility, which competes directly with popular rival Zoom.
