The Pros And Cons Of The Use Of Cell Phones While Driving

In today’s society talking on the cell phone is an everyday ritual. But many people question whether or not talking on the phone impairs driving. To conduct an experiment researchers need to determine a controlled condition, assigning subjects to different conditions, and making sure the only difference between conditions is the use of a cell phone.

We all are probably aware that texting and talking on the phone is a distraction to all drivers and can be very dangerous. Also, we all know there are many other distractions besides texting and driving, and any type of technology can cause a driver to be distracted. Forty-one percent of all drivers use their hands to text in the car while driving, according to Greg Gardner (52). It can cause people to forget about pedestrians or their surrounding areas. People who are distracted often aren’t focused and don’t have both hands on the wheel. According to Bryan Wilson, people may say that cell phones are easy to be pointed out as a problem, but statistics show the damage cell phones can do to a person while they are driving (6). According to Simon Usborne, time spent not looking at the road while talking on the phone is 15% of the time (68). Also, while texting and driving the time spent not looking at the road is 30% of the time (Usborne 69). As technology improves more and more people may feel the need to use their cell phones while driving. According to Melissa Healy, cell phone use can be as dangerous as drunk driving (42). Tests should be done to compare the various ways of sober people under the influence driving also to compare the impact of texting and driving. This would give us a better understanding of just how dangerous driving and being on our phone really is.

Is the use of a cell phone worth the risk on the roadway? Cell phones have become an integral part of our daily life. With the increase of technology of cell phones, it makes our daily lives easier and more efficient. Multitasking results in those tasks competing for the driver’s attention, diverting the driver’s attention away from the roadway. The use of cell phones of any kind impairs a driver’s decision-making ability. The driver’s attention and their ability to process anything besides driving are suppressed. Their mind is divided as soon as their attention is focused on the obsession of their cell phone rather than the road. Cell phone drivers are stretched beyond safe limits when multitasking of driving and talking or texting with a cell phone which then becomes unsafe. Most drivers over-estimate their capability to safely multitask and assuming they have this ability is a hazard. Is it really worth it to endanger yourself or others while driving with a cell phone? Some people don 't realize the danger of this until something happens to them, a family member, or friend of theirs.

As technology becomes more and more advanced it becomes more and more of a distraction to drivers. Every day you see ads on TV, billboards, and the internet about the dangers of texting and driving and yet some of us still do it. According to USA Today, in America, more than 3,000 people died due to texting and driving. That is about one in 11 U.S. traffic deaths. If I was asked to create an experimental design to test the hypothesis that talking on a cell phone impairs driving skills, I would use a driving simulator to test accuracy of drivers when they drive while using a cell phone and when they aren’t using a cell phone.

researchers at the University of Utah people who drive while talking on their cell phones

In Alberta, Bill 16 was introduced to combat distracted driving. This law prohibits drivers from using hand-held cell phone devices but still allows the use of cell phones and other devices in handsfree mode. Meaning, as long as a driver is not physically holding up a cell phone, they are not participating in distracted driving. However, many studies have questioned the use of handsfree devices and whether or not they have really solved the problem of distracted driving. Today, there is ample evidence that driving and cell phone use do not mix. Several studies have found that handsfree devices while driving are almost or equally detrimental as a hand-held device, questioning the usefulness of laws across the country that simply prohibit hand-held devices. In this essay, the consequences of using handsfree technology will be evaluated and the effectiveness of distracted driving laws will be appraised. The discussed research will establish the fact that current distracted driving laws overlook the actual problem of technology use while

Cell phones distract drivers everyday. Cell phones can pull people's attention away and onto their phone. Cell phones even cause fatal crashes. Studies have shown that cell phones pull a drivers attention away, and onto their phones, causing their reaction time to slow down. In my experiment, I will be testing to see if it is true, that cell phones slow down your reaction time. If cell phones do affect reaction time, then it would show how cell phones do affect us while driving.

“A distracted driver may fail to see up to 50% of the available information in the driving environment. You may look but not actually “see” what is happening. Focus of the driver is not on the road or traffic and it becomes difficult to handle phone and vehicle at one time. Cell phones during driving also reduce the mental capacity of drivers as they fail to concentrate on minor or major activities happening around them. Cell phones distract drivers' attention resulting in comparatively slow response to traffic signals and other related traffic events. Studies have shown the fact that breaking reaction time is also slower while talking on a cell phone during driving. The perception, vision, general awareness, and concentration of the driver are impacted while communicating on a cell phone during driving. Especially during bad weather or driving on slippery roads, drivers engaging in conversation pay less attention to these areas increasing risks of fatal accidents.

Using a cell phone while driving has become the biggest manual distraction while driving.  According to a study, conducted by The University of Utah (2013),

Advancing technology in wireless communications is presenting a growing concern for distracted driving due to using cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. Although distracted driving accidents and fatalities have risen in the last decade, placing a ban on the use of a cell phone or other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle as some states have will not resolve the issue. In fact a ban on cell phones and driving may very well increase the accident and fatality rate because drivers are now more involved with concealing their illegal behaviors. More citizen participation and drivers safety management should be more carefully considered in a transpiring situation such as this. More Americans should be

The use of the cell phones while driving has been noted to be a cause of several accidents within many states and have been found responsible for more accidents that those caused by drunk-driving in some states. Due to this, many states have now legislated several laws that are geared towards ensuring that the safety of the passengers and pedestrians are equally secured by banning the use of cell phones while driving.

C. Central idea: Cell phones are as common in the market today as a wrist watch on your arm. Everyone has one including the very young as well as the extreme elderly. People are constantly talking, texting, playing games or surfing on

Do you use your cell phone while you drive? No? Good. Most people who do are well aware of the consequences, but think that they would never happen to them. Our reliance on these devices has led to a rise in use by drivers, increasing the risk of car accidents and fatalities immensely. The main concerns, which puts us at jeopardy, are drivers having to take their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel, in order to efficiently text, dial, change a song, etc. Also, people can be so consumed in what they are communicating that they lose their focus on driving, interrupting their effective driving. Although cellphones play a significant role in our society, the hazards they present should be taken further into consideration when getting behind

It is known that the use of cell phones, specifically handheld use such as texting, while driving decreases driver awareness and the overall safety of roads. In response to this knowledge, some states have passed laws that have outlawed the usage of handheld devices, and while there should be laws that definitively outlaw handheld usage, is there enough empirical evidence to outlaw hands free usage of cell phones? In other words, does handsfree usage of cell phones, via bluetooth, speakerphone, etc., distract drivers enough to the point where states should legally ban the total use cell phones while driving. The following essay will introduce arguments for both sides of this topic, one for hands free cell phone usage and the other against cell phones usage entirely.

Although many of these new technologies are possible and useful because of the cell phone, there are some downsides that come with this device. One downside is the danger of cell phones usage while operating mechanical vehicles such as cars. Because cell phones let us be so mobile, they also let us talk in situations where we are doing something else. While a person is in the middle of a discussion, he can be distracted from anything else he is doing. According to study published in "the New England Journal of Medicine," the chances of getting into an accident while on a cell phone are increased by "four hundred percent (qtd. in Hua)." Another study that was done by scientists in the "transport research laboratory" suggested that driving while using a cell phone is more hazardous then driving under the influence of alcohol at the permitted blood alcohol content level. The study says that a person on the cell phone reacts half a second slower than an alert driver (qtd. in Wrolstad). Considering the results of the research, more legislation is needed for cell phone usage, possibly banning or limiting the usage of cell phones during situations calling for a person's full attention.