Cell phones have become a huge part of modern life.. Cell phones play a large role in our society from keeping track of the kids to calling for help in emergencies. As the popularity of cell phones increase, concerns over hazards and car accidents they cause has increased also. A law should be passed stating that all cell phone use be illegal while driving.
Talking on a cell phone while trying to drive a car puts the driver, other drivers, and pedestrians in danger. The risk of a passenger, another driver, or a pedestrian being killed by a driver using a cell phone is 1.5 in a million per year. There are three dangers associated with driving and cell phone use. First, drivers must take their eyes off the road while dialing. Second, people can become so wrapped up in their conversations that their ability to concentrate on driving decreases. Lastly, people are constantly reaching for their cell phones to make or answer calls, making it impossible to keep both hands on the wheel. Adding to research that suggests that cell phone use while driving is hazardous, Progressive Insurance found that 46 percent of 837 drivers who used cell phones while driving swerved into another lane, 23 percent tailgated another vehicle, 18 percent almost
hit another car, and 10 percent ran a red light. Of those surveyed, 90 percent admitted to using their phone while driving alone. Cell phone use while driving is basically the same as driving after drinking alcohol, both cause the driver to have poor speed maintenance, poor lane control, slow starts at signaled intersections, abrupt lane changes, sudden stops and cutting off other drivers. Driving while talking on a cell phone increases your risk of an accident from 34-300 percent same as driving drunk. Several states have attempted to pass laws to ban cell phone use while driving. Cab drivers in New York are not allowed to use cell phones while driving.
On the other hand, those who appose banning cell phones while driving argue that when states issue drivers licenses, an individual motorist has been given the chance to be both responsible and capable of making decisions behind the wheel. Also, holding a conversation on a cell phone while driving is no more distracting than talking to a passenger. Lastly arguing that a driver should be able to chose whether or not to use a cell phone while driving and any attempts to legally prohibit this is taking away the personal rights of motorists. Facts that should be brought to people apposing this law’s attention should be that dialing numbers, receiving calls and holding conversations on cell phones while driving distracts the concentration of the driver. Beyond the toll of fatalities caused by drivers distracted by cell phones, scientific studies have established a conection between cell phone usage and accidents. The federal government and individual states must protect citizens by passing legislation that restricts, if not completely outlaws the use of cell phones by drivers when operating their vehicles.
On a positive side, cell phones have been a great help with saving lives, but the risks outweigh the benefits of having a cell phone. Some ways to reduce the risk of accidents would be pulling over on the side of the road to talk on the phone, calling that person back later, using voice mail, or purchasing a hands free or voice activated phone so that the driver does not have to use their hands. The more a person uses a cell phone while driving, the greater the risk of accidents can occur. How someone drives with a cell phone is up to that person, but it could affect that person’s life as well as the lives of others on the road.
