HANG UP THE PHONE & DRIVE!!!

In the United States as of October 2008, over 266 million people subscribed to wireless phone services such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Nextel, compared with approximately 4.3 million in 1990, according to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.

Since the purchasing of cell phones has increased, so has the number of people using their cell phones while driving either in a car, or some other type of mobilized vehicle. There are two dangers associated with driving and cell phone use, including text messaging. First, drivers must take their eyes off the road while dialing and/or typing. Second, people can become so absorbed in their conversations that their ability to concentrate on the road is severely impaired, jeopardizing the safety of people in other vehicles and pedestrians.

According to The Governors Highway Safety Association, New York, California, Connecticut, New Jersey and Washington have all banned the use of cell phones while driving. With the exception of Washington State, these laws are all primary enforcement an officer may ticket a driver for using a handheld cell phone while driving without any other traffic offense taking place. Pennsylvania on the other hand has no laws whatsoever prohibiting any type of cell phone use while operating a vehicle.

A researcher of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis said around 2,600 people die each year as a result of this use of the technology, another 330,000 are believed injured. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey released in March 2005, eight percent of drivers, or 1.2 million people, are using handheld or hands-free cell phones at any given time during daylight hours. That's double the number from just four years ago. A survey of dangerous driver behavior was released in January 2007 by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. The survey of 1,200 drivers found that 73 percent talk on cell phones while driving. Cell phone use was highest among young drivers.

I’m not saying, I never use my cell phone while driving, because sometimes I do. What I am saying is it’s not safe to become so wrapped up in the conversation that you lose all concentration on the road. Technology keeps advancing and we’re producing cell phones with full keyboards and touch screens that are ultra sensitive, all it takes is just a second for your eyes to wander away from the road, and your life could end. All because of a call you couldn’t miss or an urgent text message that couldn’t wait.

Ruth Whispell
Wilkes University 11'