Motorists who text while driving are "significantly more impaired" than those who drive drunk, a new study suggests. (Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)

Motorists who send text messages while driving are "significantly more impaired" than those who drive drunk, even at the minimum legal limit for alcohol, according to a British study.

The study showed that drivers' reaction times deteriorated by 35 per cent and they saw a 91 per cent decrease in steering ability.

Similar studies of drunk driving, by comparison, showed that reaction times fell by a mere 12 per cent.

"This research demonstrates how dangerous it is to drive and text," said Dr. Nick Reed, senior human factors researcher at U.K.-based Transport Research Laboratory, a private firm that conducted the study for the Royal Automobile Club Foundation.

"When texting, drivers are distracted by taking their hand off the wheel to use their phone, by trying to read small text on the phone display, and by thinking about how to write their message," said Reed.

The study comes on the heels of reports that texting was to blame when a commuter train slammed head-on into a freight train in Los Angles two weeks ago, killing 25 people.

Officials believe the engineer on the commuter train was texting at the time. Los Angeles-area officials reacted this week by banning the use of all mobile devices by anyone at the controls of a moving train.

Last week, the Ontario Medical Association called for the province find ways to curtail the use of cellphones while driving, and recommended that any type of driving-related safety policy should also include activities such texting and e-mailing.

The Ontario Provincial Police agree texting is among the worst distractions on the road, right up there with reading and applying makeup while driving.

"Anything that diverts attention from the road is a hazard," said Sgt. Pierre Chamberland.

19% of motorists admit texting while driving

A January 2007 survey by U.S.-based Nationwide Insurance suggested 19 per cent of motorists said they texted while driving.

According to the British study, texting while driving is also more dangerous than cellphone use.

The study compared the level of distraction caused by texting to that caused by cellphone use or drug and alcohol consumption. It concluded that texting had the most impact on lane positioning and the second most impact on reaction times.

All participants in the study described themselves as confident texters but were unable to react quickly when put into simulated driving conditions where hazards popped up and buzzers sounded.

Researchers found drivers' mental attention was diverted from the road to the hand-held device, and just as bad, they were reduced to driving with only one hand on the wheel.

Interestingly, drinking and driving is still widely considered as a wholly inappropriate thing to do, but not texting while driving, said Prof. Stephen Glaister, director of the Royal Automobile Club Foundation.

"The participants in this study were almost unanimous in their view that drink driving was the most dangerous action on the road. Yet this research clearly shows that a motorist who is texting is significantly more impaired than a motorist at the legal limit for alcohol. No responsible motorist would drink and drive," Glaister said in a statement.