Banning Cell Phone Use While Driving

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is text messaging while driving. Jason Webb showed (2007) a poll in 2007 showed that 9 out of 10 Americans believed that text messaging while driving was dangerous and distracting. This is a great feature, but unfortunately there is no easy way to do it while driving to where a person can still keep their eyes on the road and be fully focused while driving. Sending and receiving text messages while driving is highly distracting and when a person takes their eyes off the road to look at their keypad for just a second or two. That is all it takes to cause an accident. Something they could have avoided had they been watching during those two seconds can suddenly change their life or that of someone they hit, forever.

It is extremely important to make people more aware of how serious of a problem talking on a cell phone, or using any of its many extra features while driving, can be. Since it has been determined that talking on a cell phone while driving is the equivalent of driving drunk, we need to stigmatize it the same way so that people take it more seriously. Not only do we need to put our cell phones away, we need to pay extra attention on the roads and learn to be defensive drivers in case those who are on their cell phones and driving are not paying close enough attention and we have to save ourselves from being hit. Many countries have already taken action to make their roads safer and it is time for all of the states in our country to do the same.

References

Distracted Driving | Frequently Asked Questions | Texting and Driving. (2012). Distracted Driving | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Texting and Driving. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/faq.html

Drivers on Cell Phones Are as Bad as Drunks - University of Utah News Release: June 29th, 2006. (2006). University of Utah News. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://unews.utah.edu/old/p/062206-1.html

Houle, D. (2006). Cell Phones are Transformative | Evolution Shift - David Houle, Futurist, Disintermediation, Future Trends, Future of Energy. Evolution Shift - Futurist, David Houle writes about future trends, disintermediation and The Shift Age. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/12/08/cell-phones-are-transformative/

Press Release: ITU sees 5 billion mobile subscriptions globally in 2010. (2010). ITU: Committed to connecting the world. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.itu.int/newsroom/press_releases/2010/06.html

State Cell Phone Use and Texting While Driving Laws. (2012). Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html

The Fish Wrap - Save us Take our cellphones. (2009). The Fish Wrap - News, classifieds, businesses, and events in the area of Cedartown and Rockmart, GA.. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.cedartownstd.com/view/full_story/3017955/article-Save-us--Take-our-cellphones

Webb, J. (2007). Survery Suggests Americans Think Texting While Driving is Dangerous, but Many Do it Anyway. Should Text Messaging While Driving Be Illegal?. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from voices.yahoo.com/should-text-messaging-while-driving-482759.html

Kristal (2010). Stop Talking and Disable Your Cell Phone While Driving | Vehicle Vibes by Allstate. Car Technology, Safety, Maintenance & Care | Vehicle Vibes by Allstate. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.vehiclevibes.com/2010/02/stop-talking-and-disable-your-cell-phone-while-driving/