Cell Phone Use Should Be Prohibited While Driving - Essay Example

Cell Phone Use Should Be Prohibited While Driving A child is killed in an auto accident caused by a driver that was talking on a cell phone and failed to see a stop sign. Drivers rear-end other vehicles as they momentarily take their focus off the road ahead to dial a phone. These scenarios are repeated countless times across the country every day. The number of cell phones in use has skyrocketed in recent years and with that increase has come the dangers associated with using a cell phone while driving.

Cell phone use while driving is a recipe for disaster. Talking on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle causes driver inattention, limits a driver's vision, results in more serious accidents and should be prohibited. A 2005 study conducted by Virginia Tech found that 80% of all automobile crashes were associated with driver inattention (Box). Drivers that become distracted lose the concentration on the road that is necessary for safe driving. A distraction that lasts for only a few seconds, such as dialing a phone, can be sufficient to cause an accident.

The study further found that the use of phones, and other wireless devices, was the leading cause of driver distraction events (Box). Young drivers, who are already struggling with driver safety, are put at even greater risk as we see the pervasive numbers of cell phones escalate in the 16-24 year old group ("Cell Phones and Driving"). All drivers need to focus on the task of driving and not be allowed to be distracted by a phone call.When we are driving, we rely on our peripheral vision to tell us the location of traffic that may be around us.

When we have a cell phone to our ear we are limiting the vision from our left eye. Traffic to the left of us may go unnoticed or critical road signs may be missed. Using a cell phone while driving is like trying to drive with your left eye closed. Hands free devices offer little improvement as drivers develop tunnel vision while concentrating on the phone call and staring straight ahead (Evans). Drivers should not be allowed to voluntarily restrict their vision while driving on our public highways.

Any accident can be cause for alarm, but cell phone use puts the driver at even greater peril of being in a more severe accident. Studies at the University of Utah found that reaction time was 20% slower when drivers were using a cell phone (Handwerk). This increase translates to delayed braking and slower deceleration and the result is accidents that are more severe and result in greater bodily injury. This not only places the driver at risk, but also their passengers and other motorists. We should demand optimum reaction time from all drivers and not allow it to be compromised by the use of cell phones.

Clearly it is time to take action on the problems created by drivers using cell phones. Driver inattention, the leading cause of accidents, is most often caused by the use of cell phones. Vision is impaired by the action of holding a phone to your ear and hands free devices only result in a false sense of security. The greater chance of being in an accident is further complicated by the effect of slow reaction times and its impact on accident severity. The public deserves drivers who are attentive, capable of seeing the traffic around them, and are able to react to unforeseen situations.

Cell phones impede driving quality, is an unnecessary risk to public safety, and should be prohibited. Works Cited Box, Sherri. "100 Car Naturalistic Driving Study Tracks Drivers for a Year." Press Release. Virginia Tech. 10 June 2005. Virginia Tech. 22 June 2006 . "Cell Phones and Driving." Insurance Information Institute. May 2006. 22 June 2006 . Evans, Blanche. "Safety Tips for Agents Who Can't Give Up Cell Phone Driving." Realty Times. 19 Aug. 2002. 22 June 2006 . Handwerk, Brian. "Young Cell Phone Users Drive Like Elderly, Study Says.

" National Geographic News. 2 Feb. 2005. National Geographic. 22 June 2006 .