Sociology

There has been a growing debate over the perceived danger of using cellular phones while driving. Advocates of banning this practice have pointed out scientific research findings that indicate drivers get dangerously distracted while doing such activity. Meanwhile, their opponents has pointed out new gadgets, such as hands-free cellular phones, which are less distracting than the traditional handheld models, and are therefore less likely to cause automobile accidents. Pitting both sides arguments against each other, we realize that advocates of prohibiting driving while using cellular phones have more sound reasons than their opponents. The amount of research findings and statistics that indicate the danger of such practice also underline the need to enact legislation that bans it immediately.

Drivers of automobiles should be prohibited from using cellular phones while driving because there is sufficient scientific research to back up claims that such practice leads to traffic accidents. In light of this knowledge, the government must interfere and protect not only the lives of drivers, but also the lives of other people and property in our roads and streets. While hands-free phones are improving in terms of design and functionality, they still do not change the fact that talking on the phone is different from talking to a passenger and the former causes too much distraction to the driver, leading to traffic accidents. Therefore, the only way to completely protect everyone and the property in our roads and streets is to enact legislation that bans everyone from using cellular phones while driving automobiles.

According to scientific research, drivers speaking on cellular phones have much slower reaction times in braking tests as compared to non-users. Even more startling is that these drivers have worse reaction times than drunk drivers (Trapp, 2009, p. 44). If society punishes drunk drivers, then why doesnt it punish drivers using cellular phones if it is true that their reaction times are worse than drunk drivers The next reason for banning the use of cellular phones, while driving, is purely common sense and rational. When a person talks to a cellular phone, he removes one hand from the cars controls, increasing the likelihood of driving mistakes and car accidents. Dialing is even more dangerous because it requires the person to divert his attention away from driving.

Recent features of cellular phones, particularly text messaging, also pose significant danger to drivers. According to a 2006 study by the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and Students against Destructive Decisions (SADD), sending text messages through cellular phones is the biggest distraction for teens that drive automobiles. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed claimed that text messaging was extremely or very distracting (Pittman, 2009, p. 71). Therefore, if the government puts a stop to the biggest cause of distraction among young drivers, at the very least, it would already have removed a big cause of traffic accidents.

Proponents of using cellular phones while driving would often point to hands-free cellular phone devices as the solution to the debate. They say that these gadgets allow drivers to talk over the phone while driving safely. Scientific evidence contradicts this claim however, since research shows that there is little difference between using a handheld unit and a hands-free unit in terms of slower reaction times and impaired concentration in braking tests (Trapp, 2009, p. 44). Apparently, the human brain treats a phone conversation differently from talking to a passenger. It is hypothesized that this may be due to the fact that the passenger is more aware of possible road hazards than a person on the other end of a phone conversation. A passenger also can stop talking when the driver needs to concentrate on his driving.

Voice-activated gadgets also do not help since they havent reached the level where they are 100 reliable. Drivers lose concentration while trying to operate them because they get frustrated with using these gadgets. It would also be unfair for the government to ban one kind of cellular phone while allowing the use of others, since this would be inconsistent. Because hands-free gadgets also have the same effect as handheld gadgets, both types should be banned.

It is becoming more and more crucial to enact legislation against using cellular phones while driving because of the increasing usage of such gadgets, and therefore of cellular-phone-induced distraction. This trend has been evident ever since 2000, as a study during this period showed. Seventy drivers were unobtrusively videotaped and high rates of cell-phone-related distraction were found (Olariu  Weigle, p. 14-3). If this is true then, imagine the scale of drivers distraction nowadays that cellular phones are more in use than ever before.

There are existing laws that punish drivers for driving without due care and attention. The problem with these laws is that they are very limited and the charge can be difficult to prove. What is needed is the introduction of a specific offense for drivers who create potentially dangerous situations when they use their cellular phones while driving. A new law addressing this specific offense is completely enforceable because billing records would indicate when exactly a phone was used. Since there are also many cameras in our streets today, it is easier to detect drivers who break the law by using cellular phones while driving.

Using cellular phones, while driving, is also not a necessity. People did without such a practice 10 years ago, and there hasnt been a significant change in peoples driving practices and lifestyles to make this recent practice indispensable. This means that arguments that bring up any loss of personal liberty have no real basis. Drivers can always pull over and use their cellular phones while their car is safely parked. Banning this practice also further protects drivers lives because they do not have to answer their bosses who call them while they are on the road, eliminating the need for an employee to risk his life for the company he works for. Banning cell phone use, while driving, is even more crucial if we consider the results of a 2007 survey, which found out that most people who talk on the phone while driving are young drivers. Out of 1,200 drivers, 73 percent talked on their cellular phones, and most of them were young people (Carroll  Buchholtz, 2008, p. 372). The government cannot let the young generation be in danger of this recent practice, and therefore must intervene to stop it.

Perhaps the greatest reason for banning cellular phone use while driving is the governments role of protecting its citizens.  Drunk driving and breaking speed limits are banned for a reason they endanger the lives of drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Therefore, the government has the responsibility to protect the innocent as well as the property along our streets and roads. Turning a blind eye to these dangers is equal to neglecting such responsibility.