Life or Convenience?

We’ve all done it. We’re all guilty of it. It’s just really convenient, right? You’re in the car on the way to school or work, and you get a call or a text from your best friend. So, what do you do next? Answer it, of course. Recently, one of my sisters was in a non-life threatening car accident because the other person was using a cell phone while driving. This got me thinking: What could have happened? My sister’s accident made me have an ah-hah moment--cell phones really are distracting.

As a millennial, I grew up with technology, and cell phones have been around for as long as I can remember. But, just because millennials, like myself, grew up with cell phones doesn’t make us invincible to harm or traffic accidents that can result from using them while driving. My sister’s accident caused me to realize this, and now I believe that a national ban on the use of cell phones while driving should be implemented for three reasons.

Using a cell phone while driving is distracting.

Most of us have probably heard the saying that young drivers and teenagers think they’re invincible. Well, I was one of these people, and then my sister’s accident changed my perspective. Us as millennials are not invincible. Cell phones do distract us from looking at the road. Forsyth reports that “Using a cell phone while driving delays reaction time the same amount as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08, the legal limit” (2012). The use of cell phones while driving distracts us so much that we react as if we were legally intoxicated. That information speaks for itself.

Using a cell phone while driving causes unnecessary losses of life.

Not only does the use of cell phones while driving delays reaction time, but the use of them also causes tragic traffic accidents and death. Ahlers asserts that “At any given daylight moment, some 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held phones” (2011). With so many people using cell phones while on the road, this leads to unfortunate accidents and death. In 2010, “some 3,092 roadway fatalities resulted from distracted drivers (Ahlers 2011). These fatalities are preventable, and the key to prevention is not using a cellphone while driving.

Many states have already passed bans on cell phone use while driving.

Many states have taken initiative to ban cell phone use while driving. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 10 states have already passed laws forbidding the use of handheld cellphones while driving (2013). Additionally, 39 states currently prohibit text messaging for all drivers. In Missouri, it is currently illegal for an individual under the age of 21 to text message while driving. However, this isn’t enough.
 
Our national government needs to recognize that there is a problem. Cell phones are distracting and cause unnecessary losses of life. The national government needs to follow the noble examples set forth by the states who have already taken the initiative to ban the use of cell phones while driving. 
 
We all can get involved to make a change. Write to our national representatives in Washington. Write letter; send messages on Facebook and Twitter; or, try a good, old-fashioned phone call. Spread the word that cell phones should be banned while driving. Millennials, I ask you, is it worth it? What will it be? Life or a convenient phone call or text? The choice is yours.

Works Cited

Ahlers, Mike M. "NTSB Recommends Full Ban on Use of Cell Phones While Driving." CNN. Cable News Network, 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.

Brown, Ed. Person Using Cell phone While Driving. 2 Apr. 2007. JPEG file.

Forsyth, Jim. “U.S. Ban Sought on Cell Phone Use While Driving.” Reuters. Thompson Reuters, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.

Governors Highway Safety Association. “Distracted Driving Laws.” Governors Highway Safety Association: The States’ Voice on Highway Safety. United States Federal Government, Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.

WhisperToMe. A Sign that States "No Texting While Driving." n.d. JPEG file.