length: 389 words 1.1 double spaced pages cell phone use should be banned while driving in 2005 in the uk 13 deaths and over 400 injuries were attributed to accidents where drivers were using cell phones, deaths which could have possibly been avoided. There are 4 main reasons for banning cell phones at the wheel: research has proven that it is difficult to concentrate on driving and talking at the same time. A recent british study showed that talking on a mobile phone while driving was more hazardous than operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Tests conducted by scientists for uk based insurance firm, direct line, involved 20 subjects using a driving simulator to test reaction times and driving performance and compared this to when drivers had too much to drink. The results showed drivers' reaction times were, on average, 30 percent slower when talking on a handheld mobile phone than when legally drunk and nearly 50 percent slower than under normal driving conditions. The tests also showed that drivers talking on phones were less able than drunk drivers to maintain a constant speed, and they had greater difficulty keeping a safe distance from the car in front.

Speaking on a cell phone is an anti social activity because it puts the lives of others at risk. It doesn't matter how well we drive, if another driver is not being as professional or as careful, especially using a phone and splitting his/her attention, we are put in danger by their actions. Talking on a phone while driving reduces the competence level to control the vehicle as well as increasing the response time to any danger. It is a huge responsibility to drive a car and one which should not be taken for granted because it is associated with the lives of others.

By speaking on cell phones while driving, such a responsibility is treated with impunity and the dangers ignored. There was a time not long ago when no one had a cell/mobile phone and we all got on with our business quite adequately. Cell phones might be very useful for an emergency situation, but there really is no need for anyone to have one in a car and talking on it. 19 feb 2016 automobile crashes as a result of texting while driving is an epidemic that has taken our nation by storm over the past decade. Whether people think they can safely type on their phone while driving, or just don’t think there is any real danger in the act does not matter. To do this our government must take action to both add uniformity to the laws and punishments bestowed on the offenders.

But, it is also vital that the government provide ample educational programs in order to spread the message about the dangers of tapping the keyboard while behind the wheel. Where u at these were the simple last words that mariah west, a senior in high school who was one day away from graduation, saw in this world. On that fateful summer night, she was texting her friend on the way to the baseball game she was planning on attending. As she looked down at her phone to read the new text message, she lost control of her car, which proceeded to slide across the median, hit a bridge, and kill the young girl with a bright future. Officer grant hendrix of the missouri state highway patrol was one of the first to arrive on the scene.

He later described the horrific scene to reporters saying, when i got to the scene, her face was disfigured from sliding down the roadway… lying in the roadway in a large pool of blood i noticed her shoes and i thought this is a young girl. Its just sad, sorry, its just sad texting while driving stories amp accidents texting and driving is one of the largest epidemics to sweep our nation. The progression of text messaging, with more capable phones and larger numbers of people engaging than ever before, has turned into one of the largest distractions in our world. People are constantly fixated on their phones, checking twitter, facebook and text messages.

The use of a cell phone while driving is extremely distracting and dangerous to the person behind the wheel, and everyone else on the road as well. Every year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of using their cell phone while behind the wheel. One fifth of adult drivers in the united states also report sending text messages while driving cell phone amp texting accidents .

To combat this problem, the united states government much take a stronger stance and pass legislation that unifies texting while driving laws and punishments, as well as installing much more education about the dangers of texting behind the wheel to convey the much needed message to the future drivers of the united states. Currently, thirty five states have enacted complete bans on texting for all drivers. Another seven have banned it from novice drivers, or those who have their license but are under the age of eighteen, with three more banning it for only school bus drivers map of texting bans . All of these numbers must be changed by a unified, national ban on texting while driving.

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The national transportation safety board, or ntsb, recommended this past december that there should be a national ban on all cell phone use inside vehicles, even hands free devices. This law would be much stricter than any current state law, and a drastic step towards vehicular safety. Chairman deborah hersman said of the new recommendation by the board, were not here to win a popularity contest. A law banning all use of cell phones would cause dissatisfaction within certain members of the american population, as it would cause the need for complying to a completely new rule that is combatting what has become ingrained behavior for many americans. But, any law that bans texting while driving would undoubtedly save hundreds of american lives. Each year, six thousand deaths and half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers cell phone amp texting accidents .

A national ban on texting while driving would aid in cutting this number down immediately. As well as unifying laws against texting behind the wheel, the united states must make sure that the sanctions for violating such a law are strong enough to deter drivers from typing while driving. Massachusetts has some of the strictest texting while driving sanctions in the country and should be a model for others to follow. In the state of massachusetts, any novice driver found to be texting while driving is subject to a $100 fine, a sixty day license suspension, and a required attendance of a driver attitudinal retraining course.

A second violation is punished by a 180 day license suspension and $250 fine, and for a third violation the driver’s license is suspended for an entire year and the fine is $500. For adults in the state of massachusetts, a first violation carries a penalty of a $100 dollar fine. The sanctions increase for subsequent offenses as well, with the second violation calling for a $250 fine and the third and subsequent violations carrying $500 fines each. Violators are also punished severely if they cause an accident while texting behind the wheel chretien. Some states, such as california and virginia only have fines of $20 for breaking their texting while driving laws texting while driving legislation .