As it becomes more likely that the use of handheld gadgets while driving will be banned, the Globe tossed out a thought worth debating--if drivers are still allowed to use headsets, will they drive better? Or is the mere act of talking the problem?

Noah Bierman talked to an MIT engineer who said, "Conversations are the problem, not the phone." A Virginia Tech researcher added that the act of trying to dial was also distracting.

While the handsfree solution seems like a legitimate compromise, some people will still try to do too many things at once, when they only task they should perform while driving is, well, driving. If their hands are free from a phone, they might start gesturing with it instead of keeping it on the wheel, anyway.

A gadget-heavy life makes people feel they can multitask their personal lives, and that they must be available every second. Chances are pretty good that if a person nearly plows into you in a crosswalk, that person's mouth is flapping away about some subject or another, and the conversation that might get you killed could very well be about what that person wants to eat when they get home. So, do you think the Talking-While-Driving threat is overblown, or is it worth going after a bill that would ban all chit-chat behind the wheel?

And, as always, if you need to prepare for the potential gadget-banning legislation, we've got tips on how to break your Crackberry habit.

Image of a Blackberry from the Blackberry website.