Driving can be extremely dangerous for you or anyone else, especially if you're not careful and focused. While driving you must be sure that your taking every precaution you can to maintain safety for yourself and others as well. Many people believe that the use of cell phones can be very hazardous, and I strongly agree with that statement for many reasons. Cell phones have caused fatal wrecks that lead to either death or serious injury. For example, "an article published by Tony Long states that he was almost killed on his motorcycle while trying to avoid being hit by a reckless driver who was on the phone." The use of cell phones while operating a vehicle isn't the most ideal or realistic to ensure your safety as well as others safety.

Cell phones cause late reactions, especially for those that are being held in the driver's hand. Majority of people have a habit of allowing their cell phone to influence their reflexes and reactions to certain death-defying situations. One of my resources states, "Not only are 27 percent of all automobile accidents believed to result from talking or texting while driving, but smartphone use has also been implicated in several recent rail disasters as well." The use of cell phones while driving a vehicle is just as dangerous as drunk driving, maybe even worse because studies shown that, "texting and driving slows the reaction time more than being drunk". Meaning that using a phone while under the wheel can alter a driver's reaction time on the road because your focusing on two things at once, although all your attention should be towards driving and driving only.

Even a two-second distraction - taking your eyes off the road to pick up your phone and see who's calling you for example- increases your risk of crashing. The National Safety Council reports that, "answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field." Anything can happen while you're driving, such as: a car could hit their brakes in front of you, a car could be merging into your lane, traffic might be coming up, or something might jump out into the road. Therefore, you need to keep your eyes on the road at all times with your hands free of anything other than the steering wheel.

It is statistically proven that the cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes with nearly 390,000 injuries each year. Even with those high numbers, people still choose to be on a cell phone while managing with a vehicle on the road. Some people believe that it is safe to use a phone while driving, or that "nothing will happen to them". In 2017, there were 34,247 distracted driving accidents and 15,341 that were aged between 15 and 29 were involved in fatal crashes while driving with a cell phone in hand. Therefore, some people may believe that using a cell phone while driving isn't dangerous, but the facts say otherwise.

In conclusion, don't operate a vehicle while using a phone at the same time because it can lead to some serious consequences. You are not only endangering yourself but your endangering others on the road, as well as passengers, or even any close-by pedestrians. Driving needs complete attention and focus so ensure the risk of any injuries or deaths because driving is very dangerous. Using a cell phone takes away your focus and attention from driving because now you're trying to multi-task which means you're playing with life or lives. Speaking from experience, cell phones should be banned while driving because they slow your reaction time to anything that may be happening around you. Managing a cell phone while driving is now putting you in a life or death situation that you wouldn't want to be put in.