by Jake Betz

Created on: May 28, 2009

Yes, and so should fumbling with the radio dials or CD player, lighting a cigarette or applying makeup. These are all practices that take the driver's mind away from safe operation of the motor vehicle.

In our world, things happen at the speed of light. Our lives are so busy that we feel the need to multi-task from the moment we get out of bed until our eyelids close 16 or 18 hours later. There is so much to be done in one day, and so little time to do it. We are under constant pressure with business and family responsibilities, and we try to make every second count.

Cell phones in vehicles, whether hand-hell or hand-free, pose inherent risks. According to statistics posted on Accident.com, more than 80 percent of drivers use their cell phones while driving, and traffic fatalities related to cell phone use have increased by more than 800 percent since 1993. When a driver uses a cell phone while driving, the risk of an accident quadruples.

Early this year, the National Safety Council came out in favor of a total cell phone ban while driving. Although hand-held cell phone bans are currently in effect in only a handful of states, the number will hopefully increase.

That fast-paced world we live in also extends to the highways. Everyday commutes and normal business travel often takes place on multi-lane interstates and freeways in which no one obeys the posted speed limits. In addition to the high speeds, there is an epidemic of aggressive driving. To get to a destination safely, a driver needs to focus all attention on the highway.

Obviously, the problem cannot be solved by only by a government ban on cell phone use. Although seat belt laws, in one form or other, are in effect in all 50 states, there are drivers who simply refuse to buckle up. They are generally penalized only if police notice this violation in the course of a vehicle stop instituted for other reasons.

The real solution is a change in human behavior, with positive results starting at home. Parents should inform their teen-age children that cell phone use or texting while driving will not be tolerated and that failure to abide by this rule will result in Mom and Dad taking the car keys away. In addition, spouses should encourage each other, to the point of nagging, if necessary, to put the phone away while driving.

By all means, however, each driver should keep a cell phone in the vehicle in case of an emergency or to alert authorities on hazardous road conditions. Whenever possible, drivers should pull off the road safely before making that emergency call.

Learn more about this author, Jake Betz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.