Driving and Cell Phones

One of my friends, Laura, did most of the driving this spring break, and every time we hit the road, I said a little prayer. Laura is one of those people who can’t seem to detach her phone from her hand. She’s either talking or texting constantly throughout the day, so driving with her is sort of a gamble. We were driving down the freeway while she was texting, and we started veering into the other lane where another car was driving next to us. I yelled, she swerved into the shoulder, and we stopped on the side of the road to switch seats. Sometimes I think that she would stop using her phone while she drove if she got pulled over or ticketed because of it. I think there should be stricter laws concerning the use of cell phones in automobiles, because there is such a strong association between cell phone usage and accidents.

A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), reported that 25% of all traffic accidents are a result of distracted drivers. I think it is common sense to place using a cell phone in the distraction category, yet people still use them. People knowingly risk the safety of themselves and others when they mess with their cell phones in the driver’s seat. Another study by the NHTSA states that a driver using their cell phone is four times more likely to get into a crash serious enough to cause injury. I think the police needs to start pulling people over and issuing tickets to anyone who is seen driving with their phone in use. The tickets and fines would make drivers think twice before making that phone call in the driver’s seat again. The laws of the road are meant to keep drivers safe, and I think stricter cell phone usage laws are important to that cause. The roads are dangerous enough without the added distractions, so we need to enforce the discontinued use of those distractions.