Phones and Driving

The number one cause of death among teenagers is car accidents. We can only assume that a number of these accidents were caused by distracted drivers. A distraction can come from anything, the radio, food, passengers in the car, and especially, the topic of this essay, cell phones.

The epidemic of drivers dying by the distraction of cell phones has become a major problem in the US because more and more technical advancements are happening as time goes on. When people are distracted while driving, even though it isn't intentional and they may not be thinking about it at the time, they are putting themselves and others' lives at risk. In the state of Georgia, it has become an official law that you can't even have your cell phone in your hand while driving. It is called the "Hands-free" law. You have to either have it completely put away, or up on a hands free cell phone stand in your car. If you get caught with your phone in your hand while driving in Georgia, you will get a ticket.

Currently there is no national law banning the use of cell phones while driving in the US; however, 39 out of 50 states now have laws banning the use of cell phones while driving, and almost every year a new one gets added. The rates of deaths by texting while driving have decreased since. In 2017, over 3,000 lives had been claimed by distracted driving, almost 300 of those lives being teens. That number has decreased since then.

In order to stop this epidemic from growing or even continuing, a national law banning cell phone use while driving should be put into place. Every year, the US is getting closer to that goal.