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.
