Cellphones and Driving
By: Jessica Rangel- Galera
Should Cellphones be allowed while driving?
“According to 77% of teens, adults tell them not to text or email while driving, yet adults do it themselves “all the time.” as stated by dosomething.org. Cell Phones should not be allowed while driving because there are risks, they are a distraction to the driver, and there are laws against the use of cellphones.
There Are Risks
One out of every four car accidents associate with cell phone use. Not only does it put you at risk, it puts the people in your car, and on the road in danger too. Hold to answer that phone call from your best friend. When you're talking on the phone you are four times more likely to cause an accident than people who don't. Younger drivers have a higher risk getting into an accident. A teen driver is about four times more likely to get into an accident than an adult while texting and driving. This is a growing problem, in 2014 cell phone use is about 26% the cause of all motor vehicle accidents.
Distractions
“There is no safe way to use a cell phone while driving,” says the National Safety Council. Do you think you are a good multitasker? Think again. Driving and talking/texting are both thinking task, instead of processing them at the same time the brain switches from one activity to another. Many think talking/texting and driving is easy, however your mind is not focused on the road 100%. Well, what about hands free devices you may ask. They are essentially the same, your brain is still trying to do two things at once. Dialing/texting on a handheld phone increases your risk into getting into an accident by three times. Everyone knows that five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while answering a text. At 55 miles per hour you can cover the length of a football field, blindfolded.
Preventions
How can we prevent more motor vehicle accidents from happening? 46 states as well as Puerto Rico, Washington D.C, Guam, and the U.S Virgin Islands ban texting while driving. In the state of Illinois all cell phone use is prohibited to bus drivers, if a cell phone law is broken the fine starts at 75 dollars to all drivers. On January 1, 2014 all handheld cellphone use was prohibitive to drivers in the state of Illinois, but you can still use hands-free devices if you are over 18. If you get caught violating one of the laws four times you may have your driver's license suspended.
To conclude
Cell phones should not be allowed while driving. The use of a cell phone while driving increase your risk of an accident, are a distraction, and there are laws against the use of them while driving. There are many different ways to prevent tragic accidents caused by our cell phone. A text/call/email is not worth a life.
Bibliography
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