Use By Drivers

Running head: CELL PHONE USE BY DRIVERS 1

Cell Phone Use by Drivers
Brianna Starks

CELL PHONE USE BY DRIVERS 2
Cell Phone Use by Drivers
Using a cell phone while driving is a dangerous practice that has been the cause of many injuries and deaths. Driving while texting is as hazardous as driving drunk, yet many people do it every day. The government has enacted laws in most states against the use of hand held devices when a driver is operating a vehicle. Many non-governmental organizations have campaigned against this serious issue as well. Distracted driving
not only puts the driver at risk, but the surrounding drivers, pedestrians, and passengers in the vehicle in danger as well. Using a mobile phone while driving is dangerously distracting; therefore, drivers would be safer if they postponed cell phone communication until they’ve reached their destination.
The issue of cell phone use while driving became prominent in 2009 when an abundance of research about the hazards of cell phone use while driving was released by various sources. Texting while driving is hazardous. “Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted” (Department of Transportation, n.d., “What”). Distracted driving is also a chief cause of car accidents. “Nearly 28 percent of all vehicle crashes, or about 1.6 million each year, can be linked to talking on a cell phone or texting while driving” (Jackson, 2012, “Widespread damage,” para. 2). Thousands of people have been killed and injured as a result of distracted driving. Despite these statistics, many people persist in using their cell phones while driving. The variety of reasons are as varied as the people themselves. Some people are not aware of the dangers using a cell while driving possesses. Others mistakenly believe the statistics do not apply to them. (Department of Transportation, n.d., “Frequently). Many people who are addicted to their phones will not stop their habit of texting just because they are driving. They believe they can safely multitask while doing other things, so they can also use their phones while they drive. Some cannot bear the thought of missing out on a message and feel the need to read a text instantly. The issue of using
CELL PHONE USE BY DRIVERS 3 a cell phone while driving has become prominent in the past few years, and it needs to be conquered.
Cell phones provide a tremendous distraction while driving. Smartphones, which are enabled with maps, games, and notifications, are even more enticing than those that only make calls and send texts. Many people feel an urgency to respond to a text or phone call. They would rather put themselves and others at risk than miss the message the person on the other side is transmitting. Although distractions, such as crying children in the backseat, flashy billboards, and the beautiful scenery can cause accidents, “text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction” (Department of Transportation, n.d., “What”). Driving requires the operator of the vehicle to have his eyes on the road at all times, because traffic conditions can change in a split second. If the driver is distracted, a fatal accident could occur without warning. Attention paid to texting means attention diverted from other activities such as watching for pedestrians, looking out for traffic signs, and operating a motor vehicle safely (Gardner, 2010). Distracted driving is especially dangerous if the distraction involves a cell
phone. Drivers cannot safely multitask. The following scenario gives a visual as to why. Imagine this. A person is driving along a busy road with two lanes of traffic going in each direction. There are pedestrians waiting to cross the street (which has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour.) Some cars are going above the limit, and some seem to be crawling. Drivers are pulling out of parking lots and turning on and off the street. Now envision a driver on this street trying to drive, observe his surroundings, and use his phone at the same time. A disastrous, deadly, accident could occur in a second. "There are simple limits to our multitasking abilities. We can’t safely drive a car while typing on a keyboard or reading a screen. The human mind is simply not capable of operating this way" (as cited in Goldsborough, 2012, para. 3). Multitasking is
CELL PHONE USE BY DRIVERS 4 hazardous when operating a vehicle. “Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%” (as cited in the Department of Transportation, n.d., “What”). Many people pride themselves on their ability to multitask. The difference between texting while driving, and texting while doing homework, for example, is that a vehicle has the potential to take lives if not handled properly, while no lives are at stake when someone is texting and working. Multitasking should be saved for a time when no one will be in danger.
Drivers should find safer, alternative methods of communication or transmit messages at a later time. There are many substitutes for using a cell phone that are available to drivers. Although some experts claim these are not much better than physically using a phone, a hands-free set allow drivers to communicate without taking their hands off the wheel. Pulling to the side of the road or into a parking lot to use the phone is another alternative. Large companies, such as Ford, have also created systems that make driving and communicating safer. One popular device is the SYNC system by Ford. ”Ford Motor Company’s SYNC system will read text messages to the driver, negating the need for the driver to take their hands off of the wheel and their eyes off of the road to receive the contents of a text message” (Gardner, 2010, p. 10). Many alternatives are available to drivers who would still like to communicate while they are operating a vehicle.
Because cell phone use by drivers increases the risk of a crash by 23 times, and because drivers cannot safely multitask, cell phone use should be banned while a vehicle is in motion. Even taking two seconds to look at a text puts people in danger. Despite popular belief, people cannot multitask when they are driving. There are alternatives to using a cell phone and driving, such as pulling over or using a service that makes communicating on the road safer. By staying focused, not multitasking, and communicating at a later time, fewer people will be involved in car accidents, and the roads will be a safer place to drive on.
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References

Department of Transportation. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved from http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/faq.html
Department of Transportation. (n.d.). What is distracted driving. Retrieved from http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/facts-and-statistics.html
Gardner, L. A. (2010). Wat 2 do abt txt 'n & drv 'n (aka: What to do about the problem of texting while driving?) CPCU Ejournal, 63(11), 1-13.
Goldsborough, R. (2012). Texting as social regress. Teacher Librarian, 39(5), 73.
Jackson, N. M. (2011, March). Cell phones and texting endanger teen drivers. In M.S. Jacques. (Ed.), At Issue: Teen Driving. Greenhaven Press.