Today, many humans own and operate cell phones on a daily basis. The introduction of the modern-day cell phone has made life easier. The cell phone has improved communication between individuals despite the distance. Cell phones have also made receiving information easier for the user when lacking understanding on a certain subject. In other words, the invention has made life more convenient, which resulted in dependence on the object. However, there must be a limitation to the usage of the object, especially when using the cell phone at that time can be life threatening. One of the many times that a cell phone should not be operated is while driving. Drivers should not be allowed to use cell phones in any capacity while operating a vehicle because the action is extremely dangerous for every person on the road.

According to the studies conducted by the National Safety Council, it was shown that using a cell phone while driving has led to 1.6 million crashes each year with 390,000 of them resulting in injuries. The reasoning behind this is when the driver takes their attention away from the road, the dangerousness of the situation increases by 400%. During the time the driver looks down at their phone to check a message, read the GPS, or receive a phone call, an accident can occur. Therefore, to prevent any accidents, all distractions must be eliminated, such as cellular devices. Moreover, by eliminating all distractions, the safety of everyone on the road is increased

After the realization of how dangerous the operation of a cellular device is while driving, more states started to amend laws against the action. As stated by the Governors Highway Safety Association, 47 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia have outlawed texting and driving.

As a consequence, violating the law can result in a large fine and even facing prison time depending on the state. The laws showed some form of effectiveness as the rate of traffic deaths among adults decreased.

Some may argue that using a cellular device should be allowed on the pretense that the driver is using the device as a GPS. This, however, is not true. Even though the driver is using the device for navigation, the probability of an accident occurring when distracted is still 400%. The GPS defense will also be used as a justification for operating a phone while operating a vehicle. Through the form of loopholes, drivers will use the GPS excuse against police officers to avoid the ticket.

The different sides of texting and driving, whether to allow it or not, is an irrational debate. The debate between the sides is a debate between what is right and safe versus what is fun yet dangerous. Many laws and economic consequences have been set into place to avoid the death and destruction of using a cell phone while operating a vehicle that can take place. In addition, cell phone providers have also run campaigns against the lethal act. One example of a campaign from a cell phone provider is the It Can Wait campaign by AT&T where surveys were conducted among teenage users. During the AT&T It Can Wait campaign, a survey about the teenager's views on texting and driving was conducted. Even though 97% of the teens that took the survey were aware that the usage of the device while driving was dangerous, 43% of them admitted to texting and driving despite that. While ignorance is bliss and most drivers highly doubt the possibility of an accident because of using a phone while driving, there is still a 400% chance of crashes occurring due to being distracted. Laws being passed to establish security among citizens are in vain due to the ignorance of people that do not care about the risks. They do not only put themselves in danger, but the driver is also responsible for the passengers, pedestrians, and the other people on the road.

Works Cited

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"Texting While Driving Facts & Statistics: Texting and Driving - It Can Wait." Texting While Driving Facts & Statistics | Texting and Driving - It Can Wait. N.p., n. d. Web. 7 May 2020.