Car Safety: The Distraction of Cell Phones

Now, let’s talk about cell phones. If you’re an average American, you probably have one and the chances are good that you use it in the car. That isn’t good however. Every day in this country people are killed because a driver was using a cell phone and was distracted from the task of driving. For this very reason, more and more states and cities are making it a crime to use a cell phone while driving. This may seem like an imposition, but if everyone started following the law tomorrow it would increase car safety substantially overnight. Operating a cell phone is probably more dangerous than eating while driving. Not only are you holding something while you steer, but your thoughts are also somewhere else. You don’t need to concentrate on a french fry, but you do have to concentrate to carry on a conversation. You may have heard or read that it’s fine to use a cell phone while driving if you’re using a hands free setup, but that isn’t true. It may be an improvement to holding the phone to your ear, but any time you’re having a conversation on a cell phone it’s impossible that your full attention is on driving. So just don’t make any calls or answer the phone while driving. It’s very unsafe, and it’s a rare call that’s so important that you can’t wait a few minutes until you can pull over to make it. People got along for centuries without phones, and for a century with regular land lines, but we can’t function if we shut our cell phone off while driving? Have a little perspective!