Cell phones & Driving

Cell phones & Driving

The notion of use of cell phone while driving is an anti-social activity because it puts the lives of the driver and others at risk. It is a huge responsibility to drive a car and one which should not be taken for granted because it is associated with the lives of others. Such a responsibility is treated with impunity and the dangers ignored. Action to outlaw is urgently needed to reduce crashes caused by mobile phone use and driver distraction. Policies that include increased driver awareness and innovative enforcement practices are essential to decrease the occurrence of these behaviors and reduce adverse outcomes. A lot of us don't feel it when it happens because a lot of our daily routes are so common to us that we just use our subconscious level of thought to get us where we're going. But it's at that point that we put the safety of other motorists and pedestrians at risk. Legislature should pass a bill to outlaw the use of cell phone while driving.

According to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, in June of 2005 they reported that over 190 million people used cell phones, as compared to 4.3 million people in 1990. With that kind of increase in cell phone usage it has made our daily lives both convenient and dangerous. With more people using cell phones today, who's to tell how many of them are speaking on it while they drive at any given time? Well that question was answered by the (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). They concluded the number of drivers using their cells phones while driving at any particular moment during the daytime increased from 6% in 2002 to 8% in 2004. That's 1.2 million people more.

All the facts and figures are pointing to the same direction that a ban is necessary now. This will not only protect the innocent parties who are accidentally rammed into but the reckless drivers with the cell phone too. It is a law long over due. The urgent matter we all should consider is to look over the basics and consider a total ban on all kinds of cell phone usage while driving. We do not have time and space to look at all the statistical car accident data. But from what we have gathered, they are indeed disappointing. The next accident could be yours ...