Did you know that auto accidents are the fifth leading cause of death (“Top Ten Leading Causes of Death”)? The number one cause for car accidents is distracted driving (“Top 3 Causes of Car Accidents in America”). Distracted driving is mainly cell phone use however it can still be reading, talking, etc. I believe that you should not use a cell phone and drive because it is inconsiderate of other drivers, it is illegal, it increases the number of deaths per year, and because there are alternatives to cell phones such as hands-free devices.

The first reason why you should not use a cell phone and drive is because it is inconsiderate of other drivers. When people use their cell phones on the highway or on a city road, their driving tends to become pretty lousy. Examples of this are shown in various ways such as someone pulling out in front of your vehicle, not letting you merge into an adjacent lane, the driver ahead of you slowing down to text or call, and not acknowledging other drivers and pedestrians at intersections and parking lots. When a driver slows down to text or make a phone call, they are taking their attention away from the road, which is one of the most common ways to end up in an auto crash. No text message or phone call is worth a rude action on a highway or city road much less an auto accident. It is not good to use a cell phone while driving because it can cause you to not let another car merge into a lane, pull out in front of another vehicle, slow down, and for a few other reasons too.

The second reason why you should not use a cell phone and drive is because it is illegal in many states. 12 states (in addition D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) have a hand-held cell phone ban that was introduced in October 2013(“Cellular Phone use and texting while driving laws”)(“Distracted Driving Laws”). 43 states (in addition D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) have a texting ban that came into play in 2007(“Cellular Phone use and texting while driving laws”)(“ Distracted Driving Laws”). These laws were set into action because the police noted a large increase in drivers using a cell phone while driving in the years preceding these laws. This cell phone use seemed to be linked to the majority of automobile crashes. They then put together the laws to stop these very preventable accidents. Now, drivers caught using their cell phone while driving will be forced to pay a fine that can be anywhere from $20 to $250 dollars depending on various aspects. This fine is meant to discourage people when they use a cell phone and driving. People should not use cell phones while driving because it is illegal and because you could get ticketed, but also for a few other reasons too.

The next reason why it is bad to use hand-held devices and drive is because committing these actions causes more automobile crashes, as my other discussions have already indicated. Why is this? It is because using a cell phone while driving distracts the driver causing him/her to look elsewhere. Some may be attempting to dial, text, or talking on their cell phone, but never the less it still distracts the driver. Because of this distraction, drivers are more prone to end up in an automobile accident. Just as if a distraction might cause you to lose a point in a tennis match, a distraction on the road could cause an automobile accident. Studies show that you are 23 times more likely to end up in a car crash when you are using your cell phone when driving (“The Dangers of Texting While Driving”). Actions like texting require visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver (“What is Distracted Driving?”). This may only show the performance level of driving with text messages, but other modes of cell phone use are also hazardous because they also take away the most important sense when driving: vision. Dialing, texting, calling, and scrolling through play lists all take away your vision of the road because the driver is looking toward his/her lap to text, dial, etc. and not giving his or her full attention to the road. Without a good sense of vision, it can be challenging to drive safely. Therefore, when using a cell phone while driving, it is easy to see why cell phone use on the road leads to an increased number of car crashes. As presented, it is not good to use a cell phone and drive because it makes drivers look away from the road which takes away their clear vision and attention making it 23 times more likely to crash, and also for additional proposes.

Next, we will look at three real accidents caused by cell phone use and see the consequences of this form of distracted driving. John Gordon, a police officer, was on a state highway in Ohio one day on his motorcycle texting (“Faces of Distracted Driving”). Slowly, he swerved of his lane into the truck beside him without even looking to see where he was going. As a result, both the motorcycle and the truck were in a heap of wreckage. His family was devastated. One of their two sons had just been killed on a state highway. On yet another case, Alex Brown, a student of a school in Texas, was taking a back road to get to school, and was distracted by her text messages and phone calls (“Faces of Distracted Driving”). She drove into the grass beside the road and was thrown through the windshield when she tried to stop. Also, another distracted driver named Kelson Vaillancourt, missed a red light when texting and drove into the cars ahead (“Faces of Distracted Driving”). Kelson tragically died a few hours later from that fatal auto crash. Using a cell phone while driving brings up several risks that include driving off the road, running into the back of another car in front of you, and other reasons too.

Another reason why not to use a cell phone and drive is because there are alternatives to cell phones that are less dangerous. For example, the earpiece is a device that fits on your outer ear as you might have guessed and allows you to have both hands on the steering wheel while you answer a call. With the push of a button, a call can be answered while you can still be driving safely. Compared to the price of a cell phone, earpieces are relatively cheap ranging from $5-$20 (“Hands-free Cell Phone Devices”). There are also other hands-free devices such as a car kit. Some are portable some aren’t, but the main thing is that they can answer calls while you are paying attention to the road. Car kits are also cheap compared to the cost of a cell phone and ranging from $49-$299 (“Understanding Your Hands-Free Options”). As previously discussed, attention to the road can mean everything. Since it is not safe to use a cell phone on the road, some companies have begun manufacturing hands-free devices that allow you to drive carefully and still be able to answer calls at the same time.

In conclusion, you should not use a cell phone while driving because it is inconsiderate of other drivers, because it is illegal, it causes more automobile crashes, and because there are alternatives that are safer than cell phones when on the road. If you regularly answer calls or texts when you are going shopping, to work, to a friend’s house, or whatever you may be doing, consider the consequences. What is more important? The text message or your life?

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