I think at least some people can talk on a phone while driving fairly safely, particularly if it’s hands free. Texting while driving is another whole level of driving stupidity, and should be punished comparably to DUI, IMO. How anyone can think that they can drive safely while looking at a little screen and punching stuff in, I don’t know. That’s like reading a book or watching TV while driving - stupid beyond belief.
I think at least some people can talk on a phone while driving fairly safely, particularly if it’s hands free.
If it's hands-free... that would be like talking to another person in the car. It's still a distraction, and I've noticed that while concentrating on a conversation (and some details in that conversation) that one can go into an "automatic mode" of driving... and that's not so good.
But, I don't think we'll be able to "manage" conversations with people in cars, so that will have to be the way it is... :-)
So, if it is hands-free, then that's probably as far as one should go with a cel phone in the car -- that is being required to be handsfree, or else, no use of it.