Drivers have been dealing with distractions - and having distraction-based wrecks - since way before the appearance of the cell phone. The distinction is that other distractions are not logged with minute-by-minute timestamps. I think it is incredibly bad science to say that cell phone usage is the only distraction that significantly increases accidents, just because it can be proved that someone was on the phone at the time of a crash. Ever seen someone reading a newspaper AND eating a bagel while driving ? Or with a 30-pound dog jumping around their car and into the driver's lap ? Post-crash evidence of those distractions - or of actual interference with driving mechanics - is, unfortunately, often not available for investigation.

Common sense enters the fray...

Of course it's a distraction... as evidenced by th efact we'll curtly close the call when we need our full attention for the road.

To mitigate our error through deflecting focus toward other distractions is no get-out.