BlackBerry Users: Unsafe At Any Speed?

The addictive nature of the BlackBerry is being blamed as the cause of a recent highway pile-up in the state of Washington.

The 53-year-old driver told troopers he'd been using his BlackBerry at the time of the crash.

On "Squawk Box", CNBC’s Becky Quick took a closer look at the hand-held device and whether legislation is needed to prevent people from using them while driving.

Her guest was Rosemary Erickson with Forensic Sociologist President of Athena Research Corp who said a driver who uses a cell phone can present almost as much danger to others as a drunk driver – and blackberries can't be far behind.

Erickson called them crack-berries because they’re addictive. They make us feel like we have to get that message – and respond. When drivers have that kind of access – reckless behavior can take place.

She said--this problem is one of the unanticipated consequences of technology – and considering most states have banned cell phone use while driving - blackberries can’t be far behind.
BlackBerry was developed by Research In Motion Limited (RIM), a  designer, manufacturer and marketer of wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market.