Phones & Driving

Cell phones and driving is not a good combination. See when you're driving you have to pay attention because your life and others depend on it. Therefore, having a cellphone would make that task difficult because it is a distraction. Using your cellphone while driving diverts your attention from the road, causes you to be distracted in three different ways, and causes fatalities for you and others on the road.

One main thing that comes with driving is that you have to pay attention to the road and the people around you. You have to stay aware and alert to not only what you are doing but to what others are doing as well so you can correctly respond safely. However, if you pick up the cellphone for any reason makes it hard for you to do that if you divert your eyes from the road to your cell phone screen. Picking up that cell phone is not worth the disaster you could potentially cause.

Next, using your cell phone while driving distracts you in three different ways: manual, cognitive, and visual. The cell phone distracts you manually when reaching for it to respond to that text message you got or to answer that phone call you're receiving; causing you to take on or more hands off the steering wheel. You're distracted cognitively when your mind is off the road. Cell Phones cause this when you're engaging in the conversation on the phone whether it's via text or call. Lastly, using your cell phone distracts you visually when you check that text message or that notification; causing you to take your eyes off the road. All of this are only three reasons why using your phone while driving is one of the most dangerous activities to participate in while driving.

Furthermore, using your cellphone while driving causes many fatalities. The National Safety Council states that 1.6 million crashes are caused by the driver using their cellphone while driving. Statistics show that crashes caused by cellphones are six times more likely to happen than crashes caused by a drunk driver. In addition one out of four traffic crashes are spurred out of cellphone usage and each day 11 teens die as a result of texting and driving. All could've been prevented if they didn't pick up the phone.

Due to reasons stated above, when you are in your vehicle driving on the road please refrain from picking up your cellular device. There are many ways you can stop yourself from getting distracted by your cell phone. All cellphones have a mute button which you can use every time you step in your car. There are some phones that have a do not disturb button that silences all notifications that are not emergencies. All this you could do to save the life of yourself and someone else.