by Robin Stevens

Created on: November 02, 2008

Operating a vehicle and using the cell phone is a dangerous combination. Yes in today's society, we have become more available to everyone we know with our PDAs and our cell phones. But is this a good thing while driving or bad? The answer is an unquestionable yes. When we are driving, our total concentration should be on the road and on those who are around us. It is already a notion that we must be defensive drivers and we cannot do that while trying to hold a conversation that may or may not have anything to do with our driving. There are times when an emergency comes up and we will need to make a call; for instance, while broken down on the side of the road or to call in an accident; but other than that, the cell phone should be eliminated from the driving equation.

Why is this so important? Well studies have shown that if you are driving and talking, then one will take a back seat to the other. When we are talking on the cell phone, our total concentration is on the conversation; what is being said and the reaction of the other person on the phone may take our attention away from our driving. I have been holding a conversation and turning a corner and then at that instance, recognized that someone was trying to cross the street. I did not know they were there because my attention was given to the person on the other end of the phone. It has been studied that driving while talking on the cell phone is just as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. This is one of the leading causes of crashes in the United States. Studies among teenagers has shown that teens use the cell phone for talking and much more, texting to communicate with their friends. This is proving to be the largest distraction among teenagers today. While the world is becoming more assessable, the use of electronics is becoming more available and thus drivers using these electronics are becoming more hazardous on the roads.

There are several countries who have banned the use of cell phones while driving and it is rightly so. The fact that many of us enjoy the conveniences of today's electronics, they must have their place. Driving and talking to someone in the car is a distraction in itself, but add a cell phone or another electronic device and you have put together a recipe for disaster. We as Americans should continue to enjoy the advances in electronics, but if we do not get a handle on the number of accidents caused by the use of a cell phone, that privaledge may be taken away from us. We want our families to have access to us; our jobs and even our friends when it is necessary. What we don't want is to have someone else call them from the very device that should have been used for emergency purposes to be used to tell them of our emergency...our demise.

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