Banning Cell Phones While Driving

Cell Phones:
Should Their Use While Driving Be Prohibited?
Brittany Lake

This essay explains the two sides to using a cell phone while driving. Both sides, advocates and prohibitionists for cell phone banning, successfully pointed out some issues that persuade readers. The cell phone banning advocates showed an estimate of how many accidents occurred while the driver was using a cell phone. Even though 450 to 1,000 fatalities is a rough estimate, it caught my attention, because I believe the numbers should not be that high. And although there was a lack of evidence on the statistics of accicent rates going down 75% in Japan when cell phones were banned, I still believe it is true. This statistic shows the impact of distractions that cell phones have when using them while driving. While air bags and tires are neccessary in order to drive, cell phones are not. Because they are not neccessary, it should be easy to ban them and give them up while driving. But some people have them attached to their ear, making the roads unsafe.

The other part to the argument, the cell phone banning prohibitionists, states that although there is an increased risk of accidents while using a phone when driving, the costs outweigh the benefits. Hahn and Tetlock explain that a household will lose $200 anually because they aren't able to conduct business from their cell phone. The statistics used here are 10,000 serious accidents and 100 fatalities caused by cell phone use when driving. The estimates used by both sides are not very similar and that is because no one knows the actual numbers. Police don't take note when they report to an accident on who was using a cell phone at the time. Also, there isn't many eyewitnesses to report the fact.

I support the banning of cell phone use while driving, or at least banning handheld cell phones. The roads would be a lot safer if cell phones were restricted to hands free ones, because the driver could keep both hands on the wheel and pay more attention to what he/she is doing. I do understand that cell phones are good for emergencies, but it's easy to pull over and talk while stopped than to try and multi-task while driving. This includes texting! I've taken notice on what people are like when talking on cell phones or texting; they cut you off, tailgate, and don't use blinkers because of not paying attention. This could also introduce the idea if cell phones are really the issue, or if it's just the people who use the cell phones while driving. Either way, cell phone use while driving is not making the roads any safer.