I use my cell phone a lot. I use it when I drive. Could I live with it being banned or at least hands free being required? I think so. I believe there were many years that I drove around thinking CB radios were the hight of automotive communications. So we really could live with having to drive and actually pay attention to the road.
The Injuryboard writers have done a solid job of pointing out the reasons why:
Are Cell Phones Dangerous? Drew Dixon
Cell Phones: Motor Vehicle Crashes Leading Cause of Teen Deaths, But Who (or What) is to Blame? Steve Lombardi
Cell Phones, Like Alcohol, Cause Wrongful Death Brad Parker
Get off the cell phone while driving!! You almost hit a boy on a bike! Barbara Tubridy Lombardi
The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that :
The use of cellular telephones in motor vehicles is associated with a quadrupling of the risk of a collision during the brief period of a call. Decisions about regulation of such telephones, however, need to take into account the benefits of the technology and the role of individual responsibility.
And the Cell Phone Safety pointed out:
A University of Utah study implies driving while talking on a cell phone reduces a driver’s response time to the same levels observed in drunk drivers and “old folks.” …. statistics are mounting that suggest distractions from cell phones increase accidents.
Profoundly alarming studies, however, fly in the face of even current cell phone legislation. States that ban use of hand-held phones while driving fail to acknowledge the growing body of evidence that shows, hand-held or hands-free, it’s the act of participation in a conversation that’s tantamount in the cell phone safety debate.
The proof seems to support that more phones simply aren’t mixing with driving. It looks like time that each legislature take a better look at this issue. Maybe even look at incentives to reduce their use.
A founding partner with Bradshaw & Bryant, Mike Bryant has always fought to find justice for his clients—knowing that legal troubles, both personal injury and criminal, can be devastating for a family. Voted a Top 40 Personal Injury "Super Lawyer" multiple years, Mr. Bryant has also been voted one of the Top 100 Minnesota "Super Lawyers" four times.
3 Comments
Daniel 8791
I used to use a walkie talkie and a cell phone while driving for the job that I had at that time. They didn't seem like too much of a problem for me, except when heavy snow or rain was occuring. But since then, I have reduced my usage while driving greatly for various reasons. However with that said, I still have to agree that we should be at least looking at possibly making hands free be required. I know New York and New Jersey (along with some other states) have bans on using a cell phone while driving. One of the two mentioned states, I believe has bans on both regular and hands free usage as well. Places with such heavy auto traffic like that are a good place to start if you ask me. Let's see what the effect is in reducing accidents in those heavily populated states and go forward from there. With New York, New Jersey and the other states data, we should know if their rules are helping; probably within the next year or two.
Daniel 8791
I was wrong about the hands free ban, there currently is no state with a ban on hands free usage.
Mike Bryant
Thanks for reading and the comments, also thanks for the additional information. There are a lot of studies going on, hopefully the state legislature will continue to monitor this issue.
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