Passage Summary: It is safer to talk to someone sitting next to you than someone on a phone because the passenger can see traffic and will stop talking or help you out if things get dangerous.

Conclusion: Using a cell phone while driving is more hazardous than talking to a passenger in the car.

Reasoning: Unlike a passenger, a person on a cell phone cannot see the road and therefore cannot adjust their conversation or provide warnings when driving conditions become difficult.

Analysis: The safety expert assumes that the passenger's ability to see the road actually results in safer outcomes. For this to be a necessary assumption, the argument requires that passengers generally behave in the helpful way described—staying quiet or warning the driver—and that this behavior actually mitigates the distraction of the conversation. Look for an answer that confirms the passenger's awareness of the driving situation actually helps the driver. If passengers were just as distracting as phone callers regardless of what they saw, the expert's distinction would be irrelevant.