Premium Essay

Is It Dangerous to Drive and Use Cell Phones

In:

Submitted By colemeeka
Words 1733
Pages 7
Is It Dangerous to Drive and Use Cell Phones
Michelle Roberts
RES/110
May 4, 2010

Is It Dangerous to Drive and Use Cell Phones
The technology of cellular phones has come a long way since the first cell phone was introduced to the public on April 3, 1973 by Motorola. This cell phone was called the “DynaTAC”. It weighed 2.5 pounds and only had three cell phone features dialing, listening, and talking and only had a talk time of 35 minutes that took 10 hours to charge. Although the “DynaTAC” was introduced in 1973, it was not put on the market until 1983.The cost of this cellular was $3,500. Today’s cell phones are much smaller and most of them weigh less than three ounces. They have a variety of features. To name a few; built in cameras, video capturing, text messaging, touch screens, and mobile web for less than a fraction of the cost of the “DynaTAC”. The price of cell phones today can run anywhere from $50 to $600. Studies done by Davis, Payne, and Mozee (2010) “Cell phones are now widespread, with more than 255 million wireless subscribers in the United States, comprising 84% of the population. In 2007, cell phone users spent 2.1 trillion minutes talking on cell phones and transmitted 363 billion SMS (“text messages”) over the course of the year.” With so many people using cell phones one can only imagine how many people drive while using their cell phones.
Therefore, is it dangerous to drive and use cell phones? Should there be stricter laws banning or putting restrictions on the use of cellular phones while driving? And, are restrictions necessary in order to help save lives? Often people don’t feel that their behavior has an effect on the lives of others. This paper will inform and educate people on the dangers of talking and or texting on a cell phone while driving an automobile. It also point out why legislatures need to step in and

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Comp Ii Unit 9 Project

...Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving Amber R. Muniz Kaplan University Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving      A cell phone wielding driver weaving in and out of traffic and drifting across lanes, because they are completely distracted by the device in their hand, may be all too familiar. When using a cell phone while driving, it impairs the persons driving abilities as much as a person with a 0.08 blood alcohol level. Think of the drivers that you pass daily; how many were using cell phones? Imagine if all of those drivers were drinking instead of using their cell phones behind the wheel. Cell phone use while driving is dangerous because it causes slower response time and reduces the situational awareness of the driver. The best solution to this issue is to ban the use of cell phones while driving.   “Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death in the United States for 3 to 34 year olds. Crashes are among the top three causes of death throughout a person’s lifetime. They also are the number one cause of work-related death. Annually, more U.S. soldiers are killed in crashes in privately-owned vehicles than all other Army ground accidents combined” (National Safety Council, 2010) Distracted drivers using cell phones cause about 2,600 traffic fatalities and 330,000 accidents every year (Richtel, 2009). Many drivers talk, text, and respond to their e-mails while trying to drive. People that use cell phone while driving are not aware of their surroundings....

Words: 2242 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Are Cell Phones Dangerous

...Are Cell Phones Dangerous? You are driving down the highway and you hear that familiar sound – you just received a phone call. You reach for your phone but it is not where you put it. You try to keep one eye on the road and search for your phone. Meanwhile, it is ringing like crazy. Finally, you find it only for it to stop ringing. Oh man, another missed call! You see it was your best friend and you decide to call them back. Once again, you try to keep one eye on the road while typing in the number. Does this sound familiar? Do you know someone like this? Cellular phones today have been helpful to keep in touch with people and communicate with others when we are not around them. Sure, it is good to keep in touch when away from home, but most people have not stopped to think about the trouble it causes on the roads or the damages it can have on the user’s body. Dangerous can mean many things when it comes to cell phones. There has been a lot of controversy whether cell phones emit high enough radiation to cause health problems. Some say one of the leading causes of cancer is the radiation from cell phones. The main source of the radiation is through the cell phone’s antenna. The closer the antenna is to a person’s head, the greater the exposure is to the radiation energy. The amount of radiation energy absorbed by a person decreases with increasing distance between the antenna and the user. According to the US Food and Administration, there is not enough of scientific...

Words: 997 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Cellphone

...automobiles be prohibited from using cellular phones? What shouldn’t you do while you are driving? Using a cell phone is the main problem for drivers. It affects not only the drivers, but also people around them. They will lose control of the vehicle. Now many countries have laws which drivers are prohibited from using a cell phone because the number of people who died from the accidents increase every year. The drivers have lack of carefully because they are using a cell phone. In some case, when they have an accident, they can get out of a car on time or it isn’t a big accident. So they are lucky, but it is not often occurring. A cell phone is useful, but at the same time it is dangerous. Anyway, I think the drivers should be prohibited from using a cell phone because it has many factors such as they lose control of the vehicle, they don’t have responsibility and it is the main reason of accidents. Although using a cell phone while they are driving will be dangerous, many people also want to use it. They wear a headset or a Bluetooth with the cell phone which can cause them to feel safe. They also have their position. They can control themselves to pay attention to driving. They think when the phone ring, it means that is an urgent situation which they have to pick up the phone and talk to them. If they don’t pick up the phone, they will miss important news at that time. They insist that they shouldn’t be prohibited from using the cell phone. The first factor is they lose control...

Words: 829 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Why the Use of Cell Phone Should Be Banned While Drving

...Regina Dodson Student ID AC1400470 SP180.1.1 Principles of Public Speaking Assignment 06_06 02-07-2014 I Believe and Persuaded the Use of Cell Phones Should Be Mandatorily Banned Nationwide To Prevent Unnecessary Distractive Driving Banning the use of cell phones should be made mandatory nationwide while driving because it is a one of the nations’ top killers in America. Driving while being distracted kills thousands of people every year. Yet many drivers think they are good at managing both tasks so they continue to text behind the wheel. A car travels approximately 100 yards in less than the 5 seconds it takes to read a text. Texting distracts people from driving properly by diverting their attention to their cell phone, instead of focusing on the road. Furthermore, studies show that texting is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Subjects are found to be mentally impaired while driving and chatting on a mobile device as when they are under the influence. These are the top reasons why I believe and am convinced that driving while on a cell phone should be banned in America. Cell Phone Usage as Top Killer in America National statistics show that cell phone usage while driving has become one of the nation’s top killers on our roadways today. According to the Texting and Driving Safety Statistics an average of 1,600,000 accidents are reported each year due to texting while driving. Nearly 25 percent of all accidents nationwide, 11 percent of which are teenagers...

Words: 1305 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Cell Phone Distraction

...Everyday people die in car accidents because they use cell phones while driving. According to research cell phones are leading factors that cause accidents. Studies show that a cell phone put drivers at a four time greater risk of a crush. Despite of a danger, people still use cell phones because they want to be always available and keep in touch with other people. Also, they think that hand-free set is safe because they can drive using two hands. Moreover, they use arguments that cell phones are necessary in emergency situations. Although some people support using cell phones while driving, there are evidences that they are dangerous and people should avoid talking while driving. Opponents whose work depends on a cell phone like lawyers or businessmen say that they always have to be available to answer the phone to keep their business running. However, because of their habits, they can create dangerous and hazardous situations like a collision or an accident. Business issues can be stressful and dangerous while driving because it can cause emotional reactions that can lead to tragedy. Because of the conversation they might get upset and this can lower their driving ability that can lead to lose control over the car. So if people don't make a decision to put away their cell phones their routine can harm innocent people. Opponents say that hands-free set is safety because people can drive using two hands. However, hands-free devices don't eliminate the risk of causing an...

Words: 534 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Drivers Lisence

...Is it really that important to stay connected during every hour of the day? According to Ian Mulgrew, a journalist/author from Canada, many accidents are blamed on distracted driving and most of the distractions are caused by cell phone usage. (Mulgrew) Many drivers today have such busy lives and never have time to get the things they need to do completed in one day’s time. This leaves them to get things done while on the road. Checking emails is a top priority for Americans and since many havsmartphonees, they will do it on the road as well as send text messages.There are many laws being established to try to prevent distracted driving from happening, although they can’t completely stop it. No matter what age the driver is, under no circumstance should they be texting while driving. Texting or using a cell phone while driving is very hazardous to yourself and the people surrounding you. One reason the majority of people are against this action is because it causes a great amount of car accidents every year. (Copeland) While driving, adults and teenagers cannot resist the urge to pick up their cell phone and send a text or respond to one. When the driver hears the vibrate or ring, nothing can stop them from checking the notification on their phone. As soon as the driver’s eyes meet their cellular device, their focus on the road is drawn away. In 2009, 5,474 lives were taken and 448,000 people got injured from car accidents from being distracted while driving, says the government...

Words: 2463 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Dangers of Texting While Driving

...Mann John Mravik English 101-104 12/4/13 Dangers of Texting While Driving There are about 200 million people who drive on the road every day. That’s over two-thirds of the United States population, and ninety-one percent of the population owns a cell phone of some kind. Cell phones have been a growing trend since the turn of the Twenty First Century . They keep family, friends, co-workers, and people around the world connected at the push of a button. What’s startling about those numbers is, “60% of drivers use cell phones while driving” (NTSA). Driving is a daily task that two-thirds of the populations experience every day. Driving is hard enough not being distracted by cell phones. Talking on a cell phone can make a person 1.3 times more likely to get into a crash, and even worse, texting can make a person twenty three times more likely to get into an accident. Getting behind the wheel is a big responsibility. Surely the roads would be a much safer place if cell phones were either put away for the duration of the drive or if there were an app or chip put into phones that detected if they went over ten miles per hour and shut the phones down. Texting and driving may be a dangerous task, but texting at a stop light or stop sign can be understandable. These tasks are performed with the car completely stopped, but even looking down at a cell phone at a light can cause you to miss the light change and hold up traffic, thus causing the people behind you to get mad at you...

Words: 1579 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Nahggggggggggggg

...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee8–12 of this unit. fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff The use of cell phones while driving Drivers should not be able to use their cell phones while driving, for the reason that the use of a cell phone while operating a vehicle is hazardous for the driver, but also for others around them. Almost everyone has seen or heard a ad about texting and driving and what damage they cause. Although it is not a consistent problem, cell phones do cause wrecks and some have been fatal. Cell phones were first introduced in the U.S. in the mid 1980’s, and have since experienced dramatic growth. According to the United States Department of Transportation, 5,747 people were killed because of driving distractions and approximately 448,000 were injured in 2009 alone. Cellular phones are becoming increasingly popular, marked by a 1,685 percent increase in the number of users from 1988 to 1995. So as a result, many, many people use cell phones, some need to, like businessmen or lawyers who depend on phones to run their business. Furthermore going over how dangerous texting and driving really is, and how fatal they are; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2010 driver distraction was the cause of 18 percent of all fatal crashes – with 3,092 people killed – and crashes resulting in an injury – with 416,000 people wounded. Eleven percent of drivers aged 18 to 20 who were involved in an automobile accident...

Words: 4270 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Jpmorgan Chasse

...paper part 3: possible Disadvantages, Answers, with Visuals Marc Fiston Professor: Susan Sgroi English 215 Strayer University September 3rd, 2014 Topic: should regulations regarding the use of cell phones while driving be standardized? The use cell phones have spread like wild fire in the last ten years. It has become a part of everyday life for many Americans citizens, and a good number of people depend on them to carry out daily operations. Unfortunately, many accidents have taken place in the ten years due to the use of cell phones while on the road. The leads to believe that if people cannot concentrate on the road while talking or texting on cell phones they should not have a cell phone near them at all while driving. The purpose of this research is to discover if texting while driving is the leading cause of automobile accidents of today. Society does not view texting while driving as a safe practice. There are many articles, news reports, and laws passed on texting while operating a vehicle because of the danger associated with the act. Texting while driving causes numerous of problems such as: distraction from the road, a decrease of attention once he or she turns away from the road in responding to a text, and limiting physical ability because texting requires the use of one or both hands to reply to messages. These are some of the issues researchers investigate in finding a conclusion to if the individuals should or should not text while operating a vehicle...

Words: 2651 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Epidimeology

...INTRODUCTION In today’s world people have become entirely dependent on their cell phones. One of the features that have changed the way people communicate is the ability to send SMS (Short Message Service) messages better known as text messages. SMS allows people to type messages and exchange them between mobile phones better known as texting. This trend of texting came around in late 90’s and has immensely advanced.It’s fast and it’s easy. We respond to that buzz of our phones spontaneously and tune out of our surroundings. A large number of drivers don’t hesitate to both read and respond to test messages while driving. Unfortunately texting has also become a huge safety concern when it occurs while driving. Texting while driving is a serious health issue. Multiple cases have confirmed that texting while driving is becoming a rising problem across the nation. The crashes are happening far too frequently involving both teens and adults. It has reached the point where many states have banned text messaging while operating a vehicle. While talking on a cell phone, a given user can still keep their eyes on the road and at least one hand free, where as text keeps the user’s eyes on and sometimes even both hands on the phone. Texting while you are driving takes one thing away, your vision. Everyone’s eyes are supposed to be on the road at all times. A crash could take place in just a second of you reading the message. Your eyes are the most important thing that you need while...

Words: 2383 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving (Speech)

...Introduction: Good morning everyone, today we call our world as busy world or multitasks world and with the rush-rush-rush mentality most people have these days; it's no surprise that more and more people are driving while distracted. Eating, talking or texting on a mobile phone, making adjustments to the radio, talking with passengers -- all take a driver's focus off of the road. Imagine this, it's a beautiful day for a drive, the sun is out, windows rolled down, the music in on softly, just a perfect day. Then you look down at your cell-phone, just briefly, quick enough to remove your eyes from the road, then you BAM you made an accident!! How many of you have cell phones? How many of you drive? Honestly, how many of you use your cell phone and drive at the same time? I have been the passenger in the car while the driver was texting. To be honest I don’t really want to put my life in the hands of someone who is not caring paying attention to what is going on around them. I chose the topic of texting while driving because many people and especially we young and teens do this continuously. Today I am hoping that I can show how dangerous texting while driving is and what to do in order to stop this phenomenon. According to a Nationwide Insurance study in 2008, 66% of drivers between the age of 18 and 24 send or receive text messages while behind the wheel. Text messaging while driving leads the list as the biggest distraction while driving. National Highway...

Words: 1208 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Texting and Driving

...caused by texting and driving. Many teens do not realize how quick accidents can happen. When it comes to texting and driving, accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. This problem, has taken our nation by storm in the last decade. Whether people think they can safely text and drive or not, this problem need to be stopped. Accidents have increased significantly since cell phones have become popular. “Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s handheld or hands free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08% (“Stop The Texts Stop The Wrecks”). Texting and driving is now at a higher accident rate then drinking and driving. To me, this is getting out of hand. Teenagers and young adults ranging from age fifteen to age twenty are rated as the greatest portion of distracted drivers. Texting and driving should be banned in every state because it is dangerous, irresponsible, and there are alternatives! As previously stated, texting and driving is very dangerous. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. There is no possible way for a person to drive and concentrate on the road, if they are more worried about paying attention to their phone. Sixty-seven drivers were observed in SW North Dakota, USA. Participants ranged from all ages both male and female. The study showed number of seconds distracted for male and female as well as seconds distracted for high school, college and adult drivers. Thirty-two female drivers...

Words: 1193 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Texting While Driving

...extreme problem in the United States, and it is getting worse year by year. But this doesn’t have to continue. Texting while driving should be illegal because it is a highly dangerous action, and by illegalizing it, it’ll bring the world one more step closer to being a safer place. In the book Cell Phones and Driving it stated, "6,000 people die a year due to drivers who are distracted by phones. That’s one hundred and sixty five people in one day, or another person every hour and a half …for example, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study of cell phone use in a moving vehicle and concluded that sending a text message while behind the wheel makes the risk of a driver getting into an accident 23.2 times higher than that of a non-distracted driver. When sending a text message, the driver looks away from the road for 4.6 seconds across a 6 second interval”(Kiesbye7-10). 6,000 is a very large number, especially when it’s placing a number on fatalities. And texting was the main cause in every single one of them. And what makes this bit of information even more important is there are the details of an actual experiment that proves how dangerous texting while driving really is. On the other hand some people see it beneficial to be able to text and drive. In the article, “Cell Phone Use While Driving May Not Always Pose a Danger”, it states, “… texting while driving...

Words: 1112 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Driving Is Dangerous Enough

...Persuasive Speech “Driving is Dangerous Enough” Drivers around the world have discovered a new way to make our highways unsafe for all. It is as dangerous and as lethal as driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Many of us do this on a daily basis. On your way to class this morning, how many times did you receive a call or make a call on your cell phone? How many times did you receive a text or send a text? Some may say 5, some may say 10 but chances are no one will say 0. Would you try to cook a meal or even play baseball while driving your vehicle? These require our full concentration, in order not to burn what you are cooking or to pitch a strike. Driving is the same. It requires your full concentration. It is a known fact that our brain cannot concentrate on more than a couple of things at once. So then how is it that we believe that we can drive a vehicle and talk on a cell phone or text at the same time? Driving requires awareness, alertness and anticipation. Accidents occur in a split second, in the blink of an eye. It only takes someone’s loss of focus for one second for the most fatal accidents to occur. At the same time, driving can be tedious and repetitive and also tiring. Many of us are used to having our radio or CD’s playing while we drive. My own teenager argued the point of, “what is the difference in listening to my radio or listening to my friend talk on the phone to me?” Even though it is true that a radio can also be...

Words: 736 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Are Cell Phones Dangerous

...LAUDERDALE, Fla.--Talking on a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk, new federally funded research shows, and it doesn't matter whether you use a hands-free model or hold the phone up to your ear during the conversation. The study, by University of Utah researchers, adds to a growing body of evidence that conversing by phone while behind the wheel can be hazardous. "We found that when people talk on a cell phone they are as impaired as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit (of 0.08). It was a surprise to us," said Frank Drews, one of the Utah researchers who has published earlier studies showing drivers on the phone are at higher risk of accidents. The peer-reviewed study is being published Friday in the quarterly Human Factors, the journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, which promotes the study of how humans, machines and other devices interact most optimally. The study was funded by a $25,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is interested in impaired attention in pilots, and by the researchers. Drews and co-author David Strayer said lawmakers might want to use the findings to consider outlawing cell phone use while driving. The cell phone industry has issued guidelines for drivers using the phones but maintains under certain conditions it is safe to talk and drive. Among the guidelines: place calls only when not moving, use a hands-free device and don't...

Words: 889 - Pages: 4