Cellular phone use and driving - Essay Example

Cellular Phone Use and Driving Today, cellular phones are everywhere. People have them in their homes, in their cars, gym bags and even in their school lockers. Although they just came out in Colorado a little more than 20 years ago, cell phones are everywhere today. They come in different colors, shapes and sizes and have replaced the home phone as the primary way in which people keep in touch. They have totally transformed the ways we interact, relate, do business and keep in touch with one another. In the state of Colorado, people continue to use their cell phones while driving. This is dangerous and is something which is presently being tackled by state authorities. While I am passionate about the dangers associated with cell phone use and driving, I understand that there are certain instances in which cell phone use and driving a car can be necessary. Although I feel that talking or texting while driving is a dangerous practice that should be banned throughout the country, I understand that some people might be resistant to a total ban. How can we find common ground on this important issue? Importantly, there are certain instances in which it is sometimes necessary to use a cell phone while driving. Say for instance, you are driving along the highway and you notice a stalled car and a driver in distress. In this instance it is obviously permissible to pick up your cell phone and call 911. What if you are driving a car and you witness an accident or a mugging or shooting on the road? In either or these instances it is permissible to use your cell phone to call for help. While I understand that there are exceptional circumstances in which cell phone use while driving a car is a must. There certainly are exceptions to every rule. While I am against talking on the phone or texting while driving, the purpose of the above is to show that I am able to seek common ground on this issue. While there can be exceptions to this rule, and in extreme circumstances, driving and talking on a cell phone could be essential, let’s remember that these instances should be considered exceptions and not day-to-day rules. Why should cell phone use be banned while operating a motor vehicle? There are many reason as to why cell phone bans are currently being contemplated for those who operate motor vehicles. Importantly, the dangers associated with the use of cell phones while driving has become a national issue with many societal consequences. Many states throughout the United States aim to address this issue by banning the use of handheld devices, to call someone to speak with on the phone or to send a text message, while driving. The State of Colorado has recently debated solutions to the problem associated with cell phone use and operating a motor vehicle, and a ban went into effect just over a month ago. Despite this, it is obvious to be that people continue to use cellular phones while driving. This is risky behavior and people need to realize the dangerous associated with cell phone use and driving a car. Statistics demonstrate that there is a higher risk associated with driving a vehicle while using a handheld device like a cell phone. Whether one is speaking on the cell phone dialing a number or sending a text message, the risk that an accident will happen dramatically increases. According to the Virginia Tech driving Institute, the risk of an accident while driving and speaking on a cell phone cell phone increases by 2.8 times. Also, text messaging is seen as much more dangerous and the likelihood that one will get into an accident while texting increases by an incredible 23.2 times. Many states have sought to address the important challenges associated with hand-held cell phone use while driving. According to a study in the online journal WebMD, speaking on a cell phone while driving a car is just as bad as driving under the influence of alcohol. Quoting a study from the University of Utah, David Strayer argues that "the impairments associated with using a cell phone while driving can be as profound as those associated with driving while drunk," (Hitti 2009). Dr. Strayer did a comparative study that included both drivers who were drunk and drivers were texting and speaking on a cell phone in a simulated driving test. Dr. Strayer and his reached research team found that the consequences of driving while operating a handheld device such as a cell phone are just as severe as if one were driving drunk. According to this researcher, "clearly the safest course of action is not to use a cell phone while driving”. As this researcher shows, cell phone use while driving should be discouraged because it is dangerous behavior. Since it has the potential to save lives, a cell phone ban should be implemented in Colorado as well as throughout the United States (Hitti 2009). People who want to have the right to make a phone call while driving are not 100% completely wrong. There are some instances in which using a phone while operating a motor vehicle is necessary and can absolutely save lives. We must not forget that there will obviously be exceptions to the ban. Importantly, if you are driving along the highway and see a stalled car, you may need to use your cell phone to call the police. Calling 911 while driving a car should be undertaken with caution but it may be necessary in order to help save a life. Exceptions can be made in the name of safety. Since those who want the ban, and those who want to use cell phones in exceptional circumstances all want the same thing, i.e. safety, we should be able to reach an accommodation on this issue. Concluding Remarks What do the statistics tell us about the risk associated with driving while talking on a cellular phone or sending a text message? According to the Virginia Tech Driving Institute, the risk of an accident while driving increases by 2.8 times if one is operating a cellular phone. Distractions cased by text messaging while driving increase the risk by a whopping 23.2 times. At the start of the New Year in 2008, the California Department of Motor Vehicles established new regulations prohibiting text messaging while operating a motor vehicle in the states. This is an important legislative response to the risks associated with this behavior. Colorado has just recently made legislation to ban cell phone use while driving and people need to start respecting it. Driving a car while using a cell phone can kill. The likelihood that one will get into an accident if using a cell phone and/or texting increases a lot and people who operate a vehicle while using their cell phone behave like they were drunk behind the wheel. The state of Colorado would not allow drunk drivers on the road so it makes no sense to allow people to use cell phones while operating a motor vehicle. The results are the same and the state must react in the same manner. A ban is the only way in which the dangerous act of driving while using a cell phone can be made. While exceptions can be made, such as using a cell phone to call 911 in the case of an accident or an emergency, it is important to be aware of the dangerousness of this behavior. So, when people do need to break the ban in exceptional circumstances, such as to call the police and report an accident, they should do so cautiously and be aware of the dangers associated with this. While exceptions are possible in the name of safety, a ban should be implemented in the name of public safety. The time is come for the people of Colorado to obey the laws and stop using their cell phones while driving. Lives depend on it. (Driving Laws 2009; Lee 3-30). references 2009 New Distracted Driving Laws. Driving Laws. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.drivinglaws.org/2008.php Coalition for Cellphone-Free Driving. (2009). Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.cellphonefreedriving.ca Hitti, M. “Study: Chatting on Cell Phones While Driving May Be as Bad as Driving Drunk”, 2009, WebMD Health News. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://www.webmd.com/news/20060629/driving-cell-phones-big-road-risk Lee, T.D. Motor Control and Learning. New York: Human Kinetics, 2006. Read More