Cell Phones on the American Highway

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, although some people feel that using a cell phone does not present a greater distraction than talking with a passenger, tuning the radio, applying make-up, eating, or performing other tasks common while driving, studies have proven that, while tasks such as these do cause accidents, cell phones are still more dangerous. The author points out that ninety percent of European countries have cell phone driving bans, each with a different type of restriction. For example, in the United Kingdom, a driver can use a cell phone, but in the event of an accident while using a cell phone, the driver may be fined. The paper concludes that hands-free kits provide a highly accessible and practical alternative to traditional cell phone use, so drivers no longer can be excused for talking on a cell phone; however, pulling over to use the phone is still the smartest idea.

From the Paper:

"A number of recent studies prove the hazards of driving while on a cellular phone. The University of Utah concluded that drivers on cell phones are more likely to not remember seeing pedestrians, billboards, or other objects found on the roadside. A study led by the National Safety Council in 2001 indicated that cell phone users miss traffic signals twice as often as those not using phones while driving. Those that did not miss traffic signals often took longer to react. Progressive Insurance reported that forty-six percent of 837 drivers surveyed swerved into others lanes, twenty-three percent drove too close to the car in front of them, eighteen percent came very close to an accident, and ten percent ran a red light. Ford has shown that teenage drivers are four times more distracted than middle-aged adults using cell phones."

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