by Justin Manucci

Created on: March 13, 2009

Have you ever driven by someone who was talking on their cell phone while they drove? Or have you talked to someone on the phone while they were driving? Although cell phones are useful, they can be a distraction to those using them, especially if they're driving. In this situation, the distraction of the cell phone can have other negative consequences as well. Cell phones, when used while driving, are distracting and can cause the driver to get into an accident.

Cell phones have become even more common in society recently, and it seems like no matter what the situation, people use them, even if it may not be safe. Many people use their cell phones while driving, which can be distracting. Since people are talking on their cell phones, they tend to pay more attention to what they're saying and less attention to the large piece of machinery that has the potential of taking people's lives. A study done at Carnegie Mellon found that your brain only has a certain amount of thought processing available if you're multi-tasking. This means that the more things you're doing, the less attention each will receive. Driving needs your full attention, and something like having a phone conversation at the same time is hard because you need to be able to drive and be aware of what's going on around you and concentrate on what you're saying at the same time.

When involved in a phone conversation, people are concentrating on what the other person is saying because they aren't face to face with the person and can't read any body language. When a passenger is talking to the driver, they know what the driver is doing and can stop the conversation if the driver is in heavy traffic or merging on the highway, but someone on the other end of a cell phone conversation wouldn't know any of this. If someone is so focused in on the person they're talking to on the phone, they may not be aware of their surroundings, especially if they're driving by themselves. Due to this inattention, many accidents can be caused. Forty percent of all car accidents are the result of distractions. These accidents can occur in many forms, such as the driver may not stop soon enough, they may speed, go through a red light or stop sign, or even drift into the wrong lane. However, it doesn't matter as much how the accidents occur; what matters more is how often they occur and what results from them.

In a study published in the New England Journal Of Medicine, it was reported that using a cell phone while driving

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>