In today's modern society almost every person owns and uses a cellphone anywhere and at any time, regardless of the risks they could potentially face. One of the most dangerous situations to use a cellphone is when operating a vehicle. The risks that come with this include but are not limited to getting a citation, causing a collision, and even provoking death to the driver or those in his or her surroundings.

Most U.S. states and territories have laws against using a cellphone and driving (fcc. gov). Getting pulled over for doing so can be punishable with expensive citations, being arrested, and can even lead to the suspension of the offender's driver's license. These consequences also directly impact the daily lives of drivers. For example, a suspended license means having to find rides or paying for taxi fares which ends up being very expensive and inefficient. Also, jail time leads to absenteeism at work or school which can lead to falling behind and even losing a job or a scholarship due to a traffic violation arrest record.

Not only is it illegal to text and drive, but it is also extremely dangerous and can lead to automobile accidents. Distracted drivers are more likely to not follow

Ramirez 2 safe driving measures which can expose them to life threatening situations. In 2016 over 330,000 accidents were caused by distracted drivers that were using a cellphone at the time of the event (distracteddriveraccidents. com). According to Forbes, the average car insurance premium is around $815 which means that if an accident were to be reported it could cost the policy holder and extra $335 per year in premiums. Causing accidents can also lead to points being added to a driver's license which raises insurance costs even more and leads to certain restrictions being placed on the offender's legal driving abilities.

In The United States alone approximately 9 people die every day because of distracted drivers (cdc. gov). That's over 3,250 preventable deaths every year because someone decided not to put their phone down when getting behind the wheel. In 2016 alone, 1,500 people in Georgia died in car accidents due to phone related incidents and this number is expected to rise due to innovations in technology (ajc. com). Not only does this information prove how serious of a situation texting and driving is, but it also gives an idea of how much of an impact it is making on society. These alarming death numbers are unacceptable and could have been prevented.

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In conclusion, not only is it expensive and illegal to use a phone and drive, but it can also lead to serious injury and even death to you, your passengers, other drivers, and even pedestrians. Although some might say that they needed to make an important call or send an important text message, the risks drastically outweigh the reasons to use a phone and drive.