Amber R. Muniz
Kaplan University
Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving A cell phone wielding driver weaving in and out of traffic and drifting across lanes, because they are completely distracted by the device in their hand, may be all too familiar. When using a cell phone while driving, it impairs the persons driving abilities as much as a person with a 0.08 blood alcohol level. Think of the drivers that you pass daily; how many were using cell phones? Imagine if all of those drivers were drinking instead of using their cell phones behind the wheel. Cell phone use while driving is dangerous because it causes slower response time and reduces the situational awareness of the driver. The best solution to this issue is to ban the use of cell phones while driving.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death in the United States for 3 to 34 year olds. Crashes are among the top three causes of death throughout a person’s lifetime. They also are the number one cause of work-related death. Annually, more U.S. soldiers are killed in crashes in privately-owned vehicles than all other Army ground accidents combined” (National Safety Council, 2010) Distracted drivers using cell phones cause about 2,600 traffic fatalities and 330,000 accidents every year (Richtel, 2009). Many drivers talk, text, and respond to their e-mails while trying to drive. People that use cell phone while driving are not aware of their surroundings. Many drivers have swerved into other lanes, run red lights, or had close calls due to using a cell phone while driving. Motor vehicle crashes often occur at intersections because these are the locations where two or more roads cross each other and activities such as turning left, crossing over, and turning right have the potential for conflicts resulting in crashes. Many studies show that drivers, who are using cell phones, are four times as likely to cause an accident as other drivers who are