Pity the poor cell phone. It gets dropped, mishandled, thrown, and bears the blame for the bulk of distracted driving.

But it may not be the only real culprit.

New research from the University of Calgary shows the mobile devices make drivers' response times a quarter of a second slower - and at high speeds, that can be long enough to cause a disaster.

But cell phones are just part of what's leading to a lack of proper attention on the roads.

There are CDs, portable MP3 players, even your friendly radio vying for your attention as you're motoring along.

And as technology changes, things could become even more complicated.

Imagine the amount of reaction time required to respond to a sudden traffic shift if you're fiddling with a G.P.S.

"You've got to be taking your eyes off the road to focus on what you have, what you're looking for, where your next exit is," explains motorist Richard Taylor.

And you don't even want to think about people who are watching a movie.

That's right. Some drivers have DVD players installed in their front seats now and have figured out a way to view more than just the road ahead.

Dean Persaud's company installs hundreds of the disc players a year, many in the front dashboard. They're hooked up to the parking brake so you can't watch and drive. But that doesn't stop everybody.
 
"People have been known to cheat the system and trick the car into thinking that the brake is on when it, in fact, is not," he admits.

Legally you can only have video playing behind the driver's seat when the car is moving. And if you're not watching for them, cops are definitely on the hunt for you.

"Officers have laid charges in the past for vehicles having that equipment where it shouldn't be," warns York Regional Police Sgt. Brad Bulmer.

So what's the solution? Keep your eyes on the road and your hands off the phone, the players and any other electronic accoutrement you may have inside your car.

Because you can always see it or hear it later. But you can't take back that front-end collision.

Sign up for a del.icio.us account here to save your bookmarks for free online.