One-Third of a Million Injuries Yearly in the US due to Car Accidents Caused by Drivers Talking on the Phone - Essay Example

Many causes contribute to an individual talking on a cell phone while driving. The cause comes down to one reason; the individual has to talk or textthe individual calling or texting them. Their call is the most important in the world. A mother has to know what the babysitter wants. An employee has to answer his boss’ call. A child must take the call from the elderly parent. Teenagers have to answer their friends. Some people feel that every call must be taken. All of these are causes for people to talk on the cell phone while driving a car.

The effects of driving while talking on the cell phone have been documented. “Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year” (Britt 2005). This is because talking on a cell phone distracts the driver. Talking and driving at the same time slows down a driver’s response. "If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone” (Britt 2005).

If a reaction time is slowed, accidents and fatalities occur. Because driver X thought keeping in touch with his mom was a good idea, a person could be hurt or killed as a result or effect. Another effect of driving while talking is the annoyance. Everyone has been behind a driver on a cell phone. The light turns green and they are too busy talking to pay attention. People get frustrated at the wait. Road rage is not uncommon in today’s society. A person on the cell phone could create the effect of road rage.

The causes of talking on a cell phone in the car do not make people think about the effects. Unless an individual is in an accident, most drivers believe they are the exception to the rule. The effects should be weighed more carefully by the chatty cell phone users than the cause. References Britt, R.R. (2005). Drivers on cell phones kill thousands, snarl traffic. LiveScience. Accessed 26 April 2011 from http://www.livescience.com/121-drivers-cell- phones-kill-thousands-snarl-traffic.html