> The call ended abruptly when Balakrishnan—talking on a hands-free system—was rear-ended at a red light.

So the expert was doing something that has been demonstrated to be nearly as distracting.

I am very skeptical of this recent study. Yes, it’s good that drivers are looking forward instead of at their laps, but a good driver is looking all around and making risk calculations about people and cars not directly in front of them.

https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2019/02/020519-vtti-handsfree...