Phones & Driving

Communication has progressed from the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 to the endless communication that is now available in the 21st century, but it has come at a price. People's need for communication, specifically with cell-phones has created the serious issue of cell-phone use while driving. This issue leads to serious consequences, and has been met with new laws and features added to cars to keep the roads safe from cell-phone use while driving.

This issue has caused various accidents and sometimes deaths. The distraction that cell-phones create while driving has the ability to seriously injure or even take someone's life away. For many years, while most states have not had laws regulating cell-phone use while driving, there have been various PSA campaigns warning against cell-phone use while driving, usually specific with texting and driving. These PSAs are meant to scare drivers hoping that it will discourage this dangerous behavior.

These distracted drivers are usually texting to reply to someone, using their satellite navigation system on their phone, or could be adjusting their music through their phone. These behaviors have been specifically targeted by many states that have enacted laws to prevent cell-phone use that can cause accidents. Georgia, specifically, passed the hands-free rule, fining drivers for cell-phone use, holding the phone. This law can be easily obeyed because of the adjustments created by car companies and other accessories that are available. More recent cars have options for phones through the car to keep the driver focused on the road but keeping the communication possible for the driver. Cars may have an aux cord or a bluetooth option to be able to receive and make calls without touching the phone. Phones connected to the car this way, can play music through a cell-phone through the car, then the driver can control volume and choice of song through the steering wheel. There are many car accessories to make phone use safer like an attachment to the windshield that holds the driver's phone, to keep their eyes in the front to the road rather than to the side to look at their phone. These adjustments that coincide with laws like the hands-free rule allow drivers to safely use their cell-phones while driving.

This issue has lead to serious consequences, and has been met with new laws and features added to cars to keep the roads safe from cell-phone use while driving, but will continue to have serious consequences. While there are many solutions to this issue have been created it will still have consequences. People will continue to be injured or killed by this issue but without any restrictions or inventions this issue would not continued at the same rate. The precautions keep the roads as safe as they can be, because people will continue to use their cell-phones while driving, but at least it is more regulated and less distracting now.