It's a nice, peaceful day outside. The wind slowly blows through the trees, and the sun shines brightly. You're driving with your window down, and you can smell food in the air. Your destination is your mom's house to eat dinner with the family. Suddenly, your phone pings in the passenger seat. You reach over to tap it, so you can see what the notification was. Before you even get over there, a large horn sounds through the air along with the sound of your car smashing into another. You've just crashed your car into another, injuring yourself and the people in the other car. It was all because of that notification catching your attention. Clearly, phones should not be allowed out in cars.

Phones should always be on silent in the car. Our brains are trained to jump at the sound of our phone beeping. Our genes have been shaped through generations to seek rewards, and the little notification sound triggers our brain's carnal function to check for a reward. You literally cannot for a long time after a phone beeps without touching it unless you have a really strong sense of willpower. If our brains are trained to check our phone as soon as it beeps, why should we risk our brains immediately going for the phone in the car when we can just turn it off?

Phones should also not be visible, because we are inclined to touch it when we see it, especially if the screen lights up. It only takes one moment of somebody's eyes leaving the road for there to be a life-altering crash. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. This means that 1.6 million times a year, a phone caused somebody to crash their car. That one moment they needed to look at the road and they didn't, happened 1.6 million times in one year. Without a doubt, if phones weren't out in those cars, those 1.6 million incidents would be non-existent.

Last but not least, phones should be put out of the driver's reach at all times including red lights. Undoubtedly, with technology today, there should be no excuse for someone to be on the phone while driving. You can click your steering wheel for whatever you need in most newer model cars. Taking your eyes off the road endangers both you and other people on the road.

One of the studies of Harvard concluded that 2 in every 3 people are addicted to their phones. Sometimes we have to take precautions, simply because we just cannot control ourselves sometimes. A good percentage of people whip out their phones at a red light without even thinking because they think they're safe. Even at a red light, there are still cars moving around you, consequently, you must always be alert on the road.

Phones should not be allowed to be seen, hear, or be in reach when in a vehicle. It puts human lives at stake, and it ruins others. Having a phone in the car is one of the most dangerous things you can do in a vehicle. Next time, you stop at a red light and see somebody on their phone ask yourself this. Is whatever they're doing worth it?