Cell Phone Use In Vehicles Accounts example essay topic

To talk or not to talk? That is the question. The debate on whether or not to ban cell phones while driving has been ping-ponged back and forth for the past decade. The devices once thought of only as props on the set of Star Trek, are now in use by over 95 million people in America alone. Many politicians and public safety officials have accused cell phones of being a leading factor in the increasing number of automobile accidents. But are they?

It is very easy to manipulate statistical information to strengthen arguments, but closer investigation can reveal certain weaknesses, such as unrepresentative samples or alternative causes. Every day bad drivers can be seen chatting away with one hand on the wheel and the other clamping the phone to their heads. So, naturally the assumption is made that the driver is distracted because of the use of the telephone. This hasty conclusion has lead to large numbers of propositions for the banning of hand held cell phones while driving. Interestingly enough though, studies have shown that using a hands-free device for the phone is just as distracting as drivers using hand held devices. This is where problems arise, if the cause of distraction isn't the holding of the phone and talking, then obviously the ban would have to include all cellular devices, not just hand held.

Which leads to another complication, it is somewhat easy for a policeman to pull over someone actually holding a phone because there are catching the person in the act, but the police department doesn't have enough time or employees to pull over every person they see talking to themselves and suspect are using a hands-free device. A popular assumption is that cell phone use while driving is a major cause of traffic accidents and fatalities. The newer anti-cell-phone laws are based on these very grounds with support from the general public who also believe this statement. However, the raw data tells a different story. I'm sure you " ve heard "it" phrase "driving with a cell phone equals drunk driving", this comment evolved from a small 1997 Canadian study that did not take into account any other driving distractions. The University of North Carolina conducted a much more comprehensive study in 2001, which found that cell-phone use was responsible for only 1.5 percent of distracted driving accidents, which is completely contrary to popular belief.

Outside events posed even larger risks, such as other occupants in the vehicle and drivers adjusting radio and CD players. Yet, while carting around minivans full of kids to and from soccer practice is apparently much riskier than using a cell phone, nobody has suggested banning children from the car. Because cell phones are relatively new and controversial, they have become an easy target. A new Harvard study suggested that the number of accidents caused by cell phones was actually closer to 6 percent of the total. Joshua Cohen, the lead author of the study, noted that while the risk of a cell-phone accident is very low, it's still may be a public health issue worthy of further investigation.

Another point that he made was that people also associate a lot of positive values with use of their cell phones while driving, and that the whole picture should be taken in to account. Merely talking on a cell phone doesn't necessarily mean the phone contributed to an accident. This element came into sharp focus when a California Highway Patrol study on cell-phone accidents was rejected. Results of the study were inconvenient for cell-phone ban advocates, the numbers reported included the Highway Patrol's estimate of accidents where cell-phone use was a dominant factor. The study is reportedly being revised to include a much larger number of accidents where cell phones were simply in use at the time. Distracted driving is responsible for many accidents.

But honest statistics show that cell-phone use in vehicles accounts for only a very small percentage of those accidents, and that most drivers use hand held cell phones safely while driving. Given what we know right now, our efforts shouldn't be toward banning particular activities, be they cell-phone use, eating, adjusting the radio, coping with the kids in the back seat or other common behaviors. Instead, we should be enforcing laws against the real problem, distracted driving in general. The focus should be shifted from attacking cell phones, to stricter enforcement on other distractions in the car. One possibility that could help the situation, could be more education on how certain distractions do hinder driving ability. We should start from the beginning and add it to the curriculum of new drivers so that they are aware of the danger of such distractions.

As more and more studies are performed, the relevance of this problem is exemplified and hopefully the need for new strategies to improve the problem will come along.

Bibliography

IS USING A CAR PHONE LIKE DRIVING DRUNK? Author (s): REDELMEIER DA / TIBSHIRANI RJ Source: CHANCE V. 10 NO. 2, PP. 5-9, 1997 URL: web CELL PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING IN NORTH CAROLINA Author (s): REINFURT DW / HUANG HF / FEAGANES JR Source: NORTH CAROLINA UNIV.
CHAPEL HILL. HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCH CENTER, 31 PP. NOV 2001 URL: web HARVARD STUDY Author (s): JOSHUA COHEN Source: HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 2002 URL: web CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL STUDY 2002 Author (s): NO AUTHOR URL: web.