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Jessica Mummert

Professor Plath

Writing 202.112

8 December 2009

Many years ago there was much less technology and the first thing to check when an

accident occurred was definitely not a cell phone record. Today, with technology growing

rapidly with things like smart phones, iphones, and touch screens, our society sees devices, like

cell phones, as needs instead of wants. They expect to have cell phones and to be able to drive

while using these devices. People don’t see these devices for what they actually are—distraction

from the roadway.

Texting while driving is very dangerous. An experiment of stimulated driving was

conducted and it was shown that driving while operating a cell phone can be compared to driving

while intoxicated with ethanol. (Strayer, Drews, and Crouch 388). Also when drivers are

engaged in a conversation on a cell phone they are likely to miss traffic signals (Strayer et al.). A

study was conducted and it was shown that the integrated model approach helps to predict and

evaluate the effects cell phone dialing has on driver performance (Salvucci 95). Cell phones

usage causes cell phone user to have higher variations in accelerator pedal position, drive more

slowly with more variation in speed and effort higher level of workload regardless of

conversation difficulty (Rakauskas 453). Text messaging on a cell phone was associated with the

highest risk of all compared to dialing a cell phone or listening to one (Box). Participants in yet

another study were also shown to be objectively impaired in their performance when reading and

writing text messages (Robbins 3). In New York a crash killed five teens—the sheriff concluded

that text messaging happened right before and after the accident resulting in believing this was
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the cause (Nelson, Atchley, and Little 438). Using cell phones while driving compromises safety

and driving while operating a cell phone increase your risk to crash by four times (Caird 2).

Many states have already done something about cell phones while driving. New Jersey

proposed a law to ban the sending of text messages while driving (Hodges). As of June 2008

California, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Illinois, Minnesota, Maryland, Maine,

Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and West

Virginia have enacted legislation restricting cell phone use to minors and people with learner

permits (Caird 3). Overall forty-four countries have banned hand held cell phone use while

driving. The United States has three states—New York, Washington D.C., and California (Caird

et al. 1282). On November 1, 2001 New York became the first state to ban the use of hand held

cell phones while driving (McCartt 11).

As of July 1, 2001 there were more than 118 million cell phone subscribers (Strayer et

al.). By December of 2002 it is estimated that 142 million people were subscribed to cell phones

and Americans talked over 600 billion minutes on these cell phones (McCartt 11). Then, by the

end of 2004, there were over 158 million people subscribed to cell phones (Rakauskas 453).

Some believe that informing people of these risks may not be sufficient enough to change their

behavior (Robbins 13). Worldwide currently were have over two billion people who are

subscribed to cell phones and that number is expected to top three billion this year (Hodges).

Also, a number of companies have banned their employees from using a cell phone while driving

and on the job (Caird et al. 1282).

In studies it was concluded that cell phone users spend about 60% of their time on that

phone while driving (Strayer et al.) Canadian research has shown that a serious crash involving

injury to a driver is increased by 38% when a cell phone is being used (Rakauskas 453). Teens
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are four times more likely to get into a related crash or near crash event than their adult

counterparts (Box). A study in 2006 has shown that talking on a cell phone is the second and

third leading cause of car crashes (drowsiness was the first). 10% of cars on the road during the

daylight hours have a driver using a cell phone (Hodges). In a study by Walgalter and Mayhorn it

was shown that over 80% of their sample reported talking on a cell phone while driving

(Hodges). Drivers frequently behave worse when alone and not being observed by a researcher

(Caird 2).

Texting while driving is an imperative problem in our society today. The youth of our

world have been introduced into a technological era. Cell phones are part of this technology that

our youth partake in. People in our society today entwine their privilege of driving with this

material good with the result being a deadly combination. In 2006 it was proven that cell phone

usage was the second and third leading cause of crashes (Hodges). With this being said, the

statistics have only been increasing. Using a cell phone while operating a vehicle is detrimental

to everyone’s health whether it be the driver, passenger, or anyone else on the road. Cellular

devices should be banned while operating any vehicle to alleviate the distraction from the road

that they cause. There is no way to deplete the usage of cell phones but there is a way to help

encourage people to lower their usage. A ban should be placed on using cell phones while

driving and financial burden should be placed on the people who do not follow this law—as in

fines. This ban will lower the usage of phones on the road, increase safety of the road, and

decrease crash and injury that resulted before these crashes.

Driving while using a cell phone is a huge distraction from the roadway in front of the

driver. Studies were conducted to assess where drivers were looking while involved in a safety-

critical event and performing cell phone tasks. The tasks that draw the driver’s eyes away from

the forward roadway were those with the highest risk (Box). Using a cell and driving is the
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definition of multi-tasking. It’s well know that not everyone can multi-task. Cell phones, whether

it be dialing or texting, impact the drivers view by causing them to look toward the device. Once

this happens there is a great chance of risk since the eyes are no longer on the road. At least 45%

of drivers admit to texting while driving (Robbins 2). This is ridiculous—this is half of drivers

on the road at all times and these are just the people who admit to it. I’m sure there are many

others who wouldn’t confess doing this. In 2004 an observational study indicated that at any

given time of the day 5% of people were on a hand held cell phone and driving (McEvoy 1).

Even though this is a very low percentage it still affects people. No matter what happens or who

is texting while driving the only way to make it fair to everyone is to ban this issue. If the

numbers are really this low and only five or less people out of one hundred are affected by an

accident/injury or death this still is a problem. The number should be zero and could be if this

was illegal.

Young drivers are the most active age group in texting while driving. Today, people are

more and more active and involved in technology. Throughout school and most jobs some sort of

technology is used. Our youth is the pioneers in this recently technological boom. I think that

technology is a really good thing to a certain extent. Technology can help the world in numerous

ways but when mixed with driving it only hinders it. It has been found that young drivers have

high rates of cell phone adoption (Nelson 438). These drivers are so used to being able to be on

their cell phones constantly they don’t see driving as any different. These drivers should be the

main focus in trying to get cell phones while driving banned. Some believe that young drivers

should just be encouraged to turn off their cell phones while driving (Robbins 13). I don’t think

that they should just be encouraged but forced to not use cell phones while driving. Maybe if it

was banned from young drivers and drivers with learning permits they would have a lesser

chance of picking up this habit later in life. Some sources believed that texting while driving
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should be banned and all cell phones should be banned from newly licensed drivers (Box). While

some agree with the this statement they go further into this topic to say that all people should

refrain from using cell phones while driving (Hodges). I completely agree with both of these

arguments.

I believe that a bill should be presented to the Pennsylvania State Legislature that states

that hand held cell phones, talking and texting, will be banned from use while operating an

automobile. The bill should state reasonable fines that would be presented to the violator if they

were caught using a cell phone while driving. Appropriate fines would be potentially $25 the

first violation, $50 the second, and $75 each time after that. The bill should state that in case of

emergency and someone would need to use a hand-held cell phone that they need to pull off to a

safe place in order to do so. If the driver was upset and they pulled over they keep themselves

safer as well since they are obviously distracted by not just the cell phone. Passing this bill would

eliminate any distraction that a cell would cause and keep the driver alert.

Cell phones and driving is not a good mixture. The cost of cell phones includes: radiation

effects, dialing and driving, financial burden, construction and disposal, text messaging injury,

camera phone misuse, exam cheating, the demise of house phones and highway phone call

boxes, privacy concerns, bomb triggers, and other losses (Hodges). Cell phones have recently

been so popular but what affects are going to be felt fifty years down the road? Cell phones put

out more radiation than a microwave does (Hodges). In fifty years it might be possible to predict

people have problems due to this fact. The International Journal of Cancer have found that the

“long term users of mobile phones are significantly more likely to develop a certain type of brain

tumor on the side of the head where they hold their handset” (Hodges). How scary is that? These

devices are more harm than they are worth. Yes they are nice and convenient but not when they

are mixed with driving. Numerous accidents and deaths have already occurred from them. If
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someone thinks they are a good driver and aren’t worried about this issue they need to know that

it still affects them. Just because they haven’t crashed due to this doesn’t mean that they won’t

eventually or maybe someone else could crash into them. Wouldn’t it be nice to avoid this

situation by making cell phones while driving illegal and becoming four times less likely for this

to happen? In order to make Pennsylvania roads safer, we need to jump on the bandwagon and

ban the use of cell phones while driving.