I've read studies that say that talking to a passenger is distracting, hence dangerous.

Well... I haven't read such studies actually, yet. But I feel like it's safer to stay at home, and shut up, and let the villains rule the world. Kidding.

I believe that trading liberty for safety is the true danger. That's because there is no point in expecting a sense of responsibility in the mind of people without freedom. Freedom and responsibility go together, remove the former, you remove the latter.