9:35 a.m. September 11, 2012
Safe Driving and Standardization of Cell Phone Regulations
By Logan William Romero

Have you ever been behind a car where the driver is consistently swerving in and out of their lane and watch them narrowly miss oncoming cars or pedestrians? Then, as you're passing them, you can't help but glance over to investigate what this person's impairment might be, only to discover that they are mindlessly chatting on their cell phone. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior happens all day, every day across our nation. Despite the growing dependency on cell phone usage, the regulations regarding cell phone usage while driving should be standardized across the US. The safety of the millions of American motorists should be considered more important than convenience.

Cell Phones and Driving: Facts That Speak For Themselves
In 2009 CBS News quoted a report saying that "researchers estimate about one in 20 U.S. traffic accidents involve a driver talking on a cell phone" (2009). That number will undoubtedly rise as the use of cell phones continue to be used while driving. According to The Washington Post, there are more mobile devices owned in the United States than there are people (2011). Even though the statistics are clear and that there is a problem, there is still yet to be a bill passed that eliminates the use of cell phones across all states, altogether. Many states have passed laws forbidding text messaging while driving, and there are even fewer that have passed laws that ban cell phone usage while driving completely. Many people believe that a bill such as this would limit their freedom even more than the government already has.

Many laws in the past have been implemented which limits the freedoms of Americans. One such example, such as the law that prohibits people from drinking and driving, was implemented for the simple fact that when people drink, their decisions and reactions are impaired. The question that begs to be answered now is what is the difference between the ban of drinking while driving and cell phone usage while driving? The University of Utah reported that "motorists who talk on handheld or hands-free cellular phones are as impaired as drunken drivers" (2006). With millions of Americans driving today, and the many that use cell phones while driving, the problem is very real and very grave. So why hasn't there been a law passed already that prohibits using cell phones nationwide?

Legislative action in individual states varies greatly regarding the use of cellular devices while driving. According to Governors Highway Safety Association, there is no state that completely bans the use of cell phones while driving, and there are only 10 states that ban the use of a handheld cell phone (2012). Many other states impose restrictions on certain ways to use a cell phone, but most do not carry a heavy penalty for breaking them. For instance, there were only 390 tickets handed out in Minnesota for the year of 2009 because of breaking a cell phone restriction, and the number of citations reported greatly exceeds that number (Hands-free Info, 2012). Additionally, because of all of the differences in states' laws regarding cell phone usage, it is reasonable to conclude that there are those who would unknowingly break the law by using their cell phone due to ignorance. Standardizing a law prohibiting cell phone usage completely would help alleviate this problem.

There is a significant issue regarding the attention the nation has on the subject of distracted driving due to cell phone usage. The public simply doesn't pay as much attention to this subject as they should. Indeed, there are organizations out there urging for change, such as Hands-Free Info, a website that reports daily on the nation's legislation regarding cell phone usage while driving. Another such organization, Driven to Distraction Task Force of Washington State is formed by Washington state citizens urging for change in the restriction of cell phone usage. There are similar organizations in many states, but the publicity still isn't what it should be. In order for change to occur, this issue must be addressed by the general public. Representatives of each state should be written and urged to pass a bill forbidding Americans to endanger lives by using cell phones and mobile devices while driving. With over 210 million licensed drivers in the United States (ProQuest, 2011), most armed with cellular devices, there is a clear need for change.

Distracted driving such as this is dangerous and must be stopped. Image courtesy of www.seriousaccidents.com

Take a Stand and Understand
Through government channels, the spread of knowledge about the dangerous act of cell phone usage while driving can be achieved via the most popular media today. According to an article written by CNN.com, Americans spend more than "151 hours of [watching] television per month". They also quoted that this number should increase as more and more Americans are looking for cheaper ways to entertain themselves (Gandossy, 2009). Serious advertisements could be used to spread awareness of the issue to viewers. For instance, a dramatic scene of a car crash and citing some of the statistics used earlier could help deliver the message appealing to the viewer's emotion and empathy. However, the most important message should be to act on this knowledge; to take a stand and write our representatives a message demanding legislative action banning cell phone usage nationwide. If the legislation were to be implemented there would be numerous advantages that could potentially save thousands of lives.

Through the spread of awareness and legislative action regarding the ban of cell phone usage while driving, there would be little excuse for those who defend themselves on the basis of ignorance. This advantage not only helps in saving lives, but it also could be used in court to justify a more serious punishment. As mentioned earlier, citations greatly outnumber the amount of tickets handed out. Considering how grave the problem is, a more serious punishment should reflect this. Losing one's license could be considered to be a harsh punishment, but considering how serious the situation is, it might be warranted. According to a document from the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories website, India has a total ban on cell phones. Also, it is reported that this sentence is backed with a prison sentence (2009). Measures like this would make it less likely that people would break the law and, in doing so, would also save lives.

The attention and popular focus on the topic of the ban on cell phone usage could help create a culture of responsibility. The problem of drunk driving, which could be viewed as similar to cell phone related distracted driving, has organizations that could be used as a model for awareness and support on banning all cell phone usage while driving. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is one of these drunk driving awareness organizations. According to the MADD website, they provide support for victims of drunk drivers including a 24 hour hotline to advocates who are trained by MADD. In addition, they promote change by placing tools for citizens to write their legislators on their website. Their organization is huge, raking in a whopping $40.8 million in revenues in 2010 according to one of their annual reports (2011). So, why can't this kind of organization exist to help spread awareness and change throughout the nation? The answer is that it could, and it will if Americans adopt this culture of responsibility.

The most important advantage attributed to the implementation of national cell phone regulations banning cell phones while driving would be that American motorists could be assured that they would be less likely to be injured in a car accident involving distracted driving. Enforcing this legislation would keep many people from attempting to use their cell phone while driving. According to a study of the brain performed by Carnegie Mellon University, listening to a cell phone conversation "reduces by 37 percent the amount of brain activity associated with driving" (2008). With hundreds of millions of people licensed to drive in the US, it is imperative to take action and prevent more lives being taken due to this level of distraction.

When used in advertisements, humorous images like the one above could pique the interest of a reader in a magazine and serve to guide their attention to the real and grave message. Image by www.stewartleeconsulting.com

The End that Justifies the Means?
One possible disadvantage of passing a law banning all cell phone usage while driving might be that, in some cases, people would have to break that law in order to protect themselves. For instance, as mentioned in an article by the Huffington Post, a serial killer is thought to be blamed for two shootings in Mississippi. Police are saying that they believe this man is posing as a law enforcement officer and pulls his victims over before shooting them. The victims drop their guard believing that they're dealing with a civil servant, not a sadistic killer. The article also cites a post on the local law enforcement's Facebook page warning that "if someone attempts to pull you over with flashing lights and you feel unsure of stopping, DON'T PULL OVER. Use your cell phone and dial 911. If it's a real officer then the dispatcher will confirm it for you, and if it's not a real officer they will send help to you" (2012). This sort of behavior is a clear threat to many people not only in Mississippi, but all over the country. There are several cases each year similar to this one that undoubtedly has many motorists grateful to be allowed to use their cell phones while driving. Imposing a law with a blanket ban on all cell phone usage would be unrealistic in this case. Including provisions in this ban to allow for emergencies such as this would ensure people could protect themselves and still not break the law.

Another sort of behavior that would be beneficial for all motorists to report via cell phone would be aggressive driving. This type of unruly driving is commonplace among many American roads, especially in big cities such as New York. Ironically, 84% of New York drivers polled reported that cell phone use by other drivers would be the leading reason they would start driving aggressively. (2009). However, motorists can use their cell phones to relay messages to authorities regarding the dangerous drivers and can coordinate with them in real time to ensure the criminal is brought to justice. If the law passed preventing citizens from using their cell phone in this manner, it could prove to be another disadvantage. However, the provision mentioned earlier could be expanded to include this helpful conduct. This proposed law is meant to help save lives, not prevent them from being endangered further.

In conclusion, despite the growing dependency on cell phone usage, the regulations regarding cell phone usage while driving should be standardized across the US. The safety of the millions of American motorists should be considered more important than convenience. In order for this seemingly subtle epidemic to be noticed, a change in the form of enlightenment needs to occur. Responsibility should rest squarely on the shoulders of each American to recognize, learn and act to spread this knowledge in the hopes of preventing this problem from persisting. Issues regarding the negative side effects of standardizing cell phone regulations should be dealt with in the spirit of saving lives, as this is what the regulations are meant to do. There will be those that resist change and fail to open their minds to the possibility that there is a problem. However, even if a culture of responsibility were to form and be adopted by at least some Americans, it would help to curb the sheer number of people's lives that are ruined by distracted driving.

Sources: ProQuest Statistical Datasets. https://web.lexis-nexis.com/statuniv
"Minnesota: Cell phone laws, legislation"
"1 In 20 Crashes Linked To Cell Phones". CBS News.
"DRIVERS ON CELLPHONES ARE AS BAD AS DRUNKS".(2006) University of Utah News.
"Number of cellphones exceeds U.S. population: CTIA trade group". (2011). The Washington Post Company.
"Cell Phone and Texting Laws". (2012). Governors Highway Safety Association.
"TV viewing at 'all-time high,' Nielsen says". (2009). Cable News Network.
"Carnegie MellonStudy Shows Just ListeningTo Cell Phones Significantly Impairs Drivers".(2008). Carnegie Mellon University.
"MADD 2011 Annual Report". (2012). Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
"Distracted Driving 3". Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC.
"Countries That Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving". (2009). Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.
"New York drivers named most aggressive, angry in U.S.". (2009). Reuters.
"Mississippi Highway Killer May Be Dressed Like Police Officer". (2012). TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

Published September 11, 2012