Phones and Driving

Phones have become an essential of human lives, 68% of Americans own smartphones. Some people use it for entertainment and others use it for education and work, but it can also be distracting because people can not put it away even while driving. Nearly 40,000 each year are injured or killed due to a phone caused car crash in the United States. Even though phones can be devastating, they can be used to contact emergency authorities during a crisis on the road, on the other hand they can be hazardous when used for any other reason like calling, texting, or anything else related to looking away from the road.

There is a four second interval between a phone related car crash, a phone rings the driver takes their eyes for at least two seconds to find it, then they answer it before looking back on the road, at this point it can be too late to prevent a fatal crash. The drivers sense of sight, hearing and hand coordination are temporarily lost. Driving is a serious and dangerous task, all attention should be focused on the road, so the individual can drive safely for themselves and other roadway users.

Using your phone while driving is basically like closing your eyes and taking your hands off the wheel. The driver can potentially harm roadway users around them like pedestrians, bikers, truck drivers, and motorcycles. According to the Association for Safe International

Travel, "Nearly 1.25 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled. More than half of all road traffic deaths occur among young adults ages 15-44.

Each year nearly 400,000 people under 25 die on the world's roads, on average over 1,000 a day." Many of the crashes could have been prevented if drivers had full attention on the road.

Some of the newer cars are fitted with the handsfree mode where the driver connects their phone through bluetooth. This helps drivers decrease hazards if it is used properly, and there are now cars with autopilot. It helps to put your phone on do not disturb mode or putting it somewhere requiring you to stop and safely use it. Many states are now passing a strict no phone policy in cars, like Georgia if a police see a driver with a phone in their hand they can now be fined.

People have to become more responsible while in the cars, they should always remember to wear seatbelts, use their phone only when there of the road and parked somewhere safe. If used correctly phone can be useful for emergency situation on the road, but they can also be a danger for the individual and other people around them if they are used incorrectly.

Works Cited

My own prior knowledge through a Driver Safety Class https://www. asirt. org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/