Texting and driving gets the bad rap these days, but according to the National Safety Council, simply talking on the phone is no better. They emphasize that there's no such thing as safe use of a cell phone while driving, period. Most new cars being produced today come with hands-free systems that allow you to talk on your phone without using your hands to dial or hold it up against your ear. Car companies even market the systems as safety features, and surveys show that 80% of Americans believe that hands-free systems are a safe choice.  The NSC, though, says that the conversation itself is distacting enough to cause drivers to miss as much as 50 percent of what's in the roadway. It seems that all hands-free systems are doing, if anything, is creating a false sense of security–your sense of safety is heightened, but you're still engaging in distracted driving. Obviously having your eyes on the road is better than not (as they would be if you were texting or posting to Facebook), but when we say "just drive," we need to remember that talking while driving is not "just" driving.  Fair warning: this video from the NSC on the dangers of hands-free cell phone systems is heavy-handed, over-the-top, and it made me totally depressed. But it also made me realize that I'm putting myself and my child in danger just so I can make small talk with my mom. To take the National Safety Council's Focused Driver Pledge, visit their website here.