Cell Phone and Driving, Research Paper Example

There was a time when having cell phone was a status symbol because so few had them and many were white collar professionals. But now cell phone has become a commodity not only in developed countries like the U.S. and Germany but is becoming common even in developing countries like China and India. U.S. may be a country with greater percentage of people who own cell phone but China has more cell phone users in numerical terms. According to a semiannual survey done by US wireless industry in 2010, over 285 million Americans had cell phone or about 91 percent of the total U.S. population. But like most technologies, misuse of cell phone can also be very costly to the society and one of them is using cell phone while driving. Cell phone use should be banned while driving because the cost to the society is more than the benefits.

Using cell phone while driving is dangerous because even a distraction for a short period of time can prove very expensive. John Townsend, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic says, “All it takes to cause an accident is to be distracted for as little as three seconds.”(Boyter, 13). One study suggested that texting while driving increases the chance of an accident by 23 times. The Transport Research Laboratory found, “people who text while driving fail to detect hazards, respond slower to hazards, and have dangerously slow reaction times which could easily make the difference between causing and avoiding an accident or between a fatal and non-fatal collision.” (Boyter, 14). Similarly, David Strayer, a Psychology professor and a research team director at the Applied Cognition Lab at the University of Utah calculated that drivers are eight times more likely to be involved in an accident if they are text messaging. A car travelling at a speed of just 60 MPH covers a distance equal to the length of a football field in less than four seconds which means that drivers who text are not paying attention while covering hundreds of yards (Ban texting while driving, 2011).

Cell phone use while texting causes huge economic and social losses to the society. But despite the huge social and economic costs, the legislation banning cell phone use while driving in U.S. is mixed. In the U.S., the annual cost of cell phone related crashes is $43 billion according to a study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (Boyter). There were approximately 5,500 fatalities and nearly 450,000 injuries due to distracted driving in 2009 (Ban texting while driving, 2011).

If the overall benefits of cell phone use while driving were greater than the costs, we would not see so much legislation banning the use of cell phone while driving, all over the world. One of the reasons there are so many countries who ban cell phone use may be that all these countries mutually agree that driving becomes a very dangerous activity with cell phone use. Cell phone use while driving is banned in countries including Austria, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Turkmenistan, and U.K. Some countries sentence drivers to prison for using cell phone while driving. The examples are Bahrain, Ireland, and city of New Delhi in India (Cellular-News). The problem in the U.S. is that states have the independence to create their own traffic laws this is why there is so much confusion.

Cell phone use should be banned while driving because it may be difficult to persuade drivers otherwise since they often overestimate their ability to drive safety while using cell phone. Illinois Rep. Tom Holbrook probably believed the same thing when he said, “People think they can multitask, and they can’t. The results are death and carnage on the road. Texting is the most extreme form of not paying attention while driving.” (Boyter, 13). We have laws such as banning driving while under the influence for the same reasons that people often show poor understanding of the risk they pose to themselves and to others through unsafe driving habits. Thus, sometimes the best way is to use legal force to persuade people to change driving habits. The use of legal force is even more necessary in this case because it will improve the overall welfare of the society and create safe roads for everyone. Similar actions are also needed in China because ownership of cell phone and cars as a percentage of total population is lower in China than in the U.S. and as they increase more and more over time, the crowded Chinese roads and highways will become much more dangerous unless strict legal actions are taken. People who oppose ban on cell phone while driving may argue that time is always a luxury and many people use cell phone for professional reasons while driving. They may also argue that there are other distractions besides cell phone also and if it is not possible to ban other distractions such as listening to music, eating while driving, and talking to passengers then why cell phone use is specifically banned. The opposition may also say that many cell phone users still look on the road while talking, thus, they are paying attention even when they are talking. The opponents are right that time is a luxury but that doesn’t mean one should take unnecessary risks. One can also save time by eating while driving instead of doing breakfast at home but it is not worthwhile to take the risk. Moreover, many private companies also prohibit their employees from using cell phone while driving which shows they understand that costs are greater than the benefits. There may be other distractions besides cell phone use but just because all distractions cannot be controlled doesn’t mean we should also ignore those that can be controlled. Controlling just one distraction may not completely remove risks but it will at least make roads and highways a little safer. Otherwise driving under the influence of alcohol should also be allowed as there are other distractions, too. It is true that cell phone users may look at the road while driving but they are not thinking clearly. Just looking at the road doesn’t mean driver is paying full attention. He/she may be thinking about what is going on in the conversation and if something comes in the way, the driver’s reaction will be slower than if he/she were completely alert.

Cell phone use should be banned while driving because it will increase the overall welfare of the society as the benefits will be greater than the costs. Cell phone has been banned by many private countries and in many countries around the world which proves that cell phone use while driving is a very dangerous activity. People sometimes are too confident of themselves and underestimate risk, thus, the best solution is legal force even though education can also be used to positively influence drivers’ habits. Not only U.S. but China should also take serious measures because there is lot of room for growth in China in both consumer ownership of cell phones and cars. Before the problem becomes too serious, Chinese government should show the wisdom to take strict action by banning cell phone use nationwide. It will be good for both the public and the economy.

References

Ban texting while driving.” The Herald 7 January 2011.

Boyter, Jennifer Horne. “R U DRIVING?” State News (Council of State Governments) May 2009: 12-15.

Cellular-News. Countries that ban cell phones while driving. 28 April 2012 <http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/>.