The Dangers of Cell Phone Usage while Driving

Over the years cell phones have been a key part in most people's daily lives. Cell phones can be used as means of communication, internet surfing, work, etc. While cell phones can be very beneficial in people's daily lives, they can cause much harm when used at the wrong time, such as when driving. Everyday people are dying in car accidents due to using their cell phones. Driving while using a cell phone is among the leading factors of car accidents, which can be fatal. Despite the danger, people still use cellphones while driving. Truthfully, cell phone usage while driving should be made illegal because it serves as a major distraction and can cause harm to others as well as the driver.

Numerous studies have shown that people who are distracted by their cellphones while driving are more likely to cause or be involved in accidents. The CDC estimates cell phone usage while driving causes one-thousand injuries and nine deaths a day. The reason is clear- the driver is not fully focused because they are distracted by their cell phones. This is extremely dangerous because the driver has their eyes off the road. A study from NHTSA revealed taking your eyes off the road for five seconds at fifty-five mph is equivalent to driving an entire length of a football field with your eyes closed. While looking at a phone while driving causes one to not have their eyes on the road, the use of a cell phone also decreases the driver's reaction time. A psychologist by the name of David Strayer once stated the reaction time of a 20-year-old using a cell phone while driving has the same reaction time of a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone. It is clear cell phone usage while driving decreases one's reaction time greatly, while also prohibiting the driver from being fully focused on the road. This information should not sound new, people are quite aware of the dangers, yet it still takes place.

As mentioned, people know the dangers of cell phone usage while driving, especially teenagers. The dangers of distracted driving is fresh in the mind of new teenagers on the roads because they have just finished driver's education. Although teenagers know the dangers of distracted driving, 21% of teenage drivers are killed annually due to cell phone usage while driving. This makes me wonder why the number of crashes involving teenagers using cell phones are so high? The clearest answer is their parents. As teenagers ride with parents, legal guardians or adults who use their cell phones while driving, it makes the concept seem a bit more normal and okay. Personally I feel the reason many adults use their cell phones while driving is because they feel very experienced. People who have been driving for over twenty years are without a doubt typically more experienced than new drivers. While they do have more experience than new drivers, it does not mean they have mastered the task of driving while being distracted by their cell phone. This false idea many adults have leads to teenagers picking up on these habits. Differences could be made if adults did not text and drive, especially with children in the car. It could decrease the number of teen drivers who use their cell phones while driving. While adults not using their cell phones while driving with children would possibly decrease the number of young people driving with cell phones, it also makes the roads safer! That enough should make adults want to stop using their phones while driving. Everyone, teenager or adult, should want to put their phone down while driving to make the roads. This simple act can save thousands of lives per year.

It should not be a hotly debated issue whether or not cell phone usage while driving should be illegal or not. It should clearly be illegal. Consider the thousands of victims killed by distracted drivers each year. Cell phones can be great and helpful but, people need to learn to put them down! If people were not be distracted by their cell phones while driving, the roads would be so much safer. No notification one receives while driving should ever be more important than keeping yourself and others safe.