With the advent of cellular phones different parts of the globe were connected to each other by more than just geography. Cell phones are arguably the most important invention in the world. They made the life of human being easier. People could be more connected, work was made easy and the physical distance was no bar to communication between and among people in any given time.
The advantages of a cell phone are numerous. However, even the most helpful technology has a drawback. Insofar as cell phones are concerned, its usage in cars has been a cause for controversy and debate.
Driving cars requires complete concentration. A small deviation or distraction of the person driving the car could result in a fatal accident.
Even fatal accidents can be caused by the use of this simple yet complex device. The problem however arises from the fact that most accidents due to cell phone use continue to go un-reported.
As such it is very difficult to draw an estimate as to the actual number of car crashes that occur due to cell phone use.
The National Safety Council, in an attempt to put a number on the gravity of cell phone induced car crashes, reviewed fatal car crashes between the year 2009 and 2011.
According to the review conducted by the National Safety Council, of the 180 fatal crashes 52% of the crashes were a result of the use of cell phones. (Crash Data and Underreporting, 2014)
This is a very disturbing figure. On the converse this means that 52% of the crashes could have been avoided by avoiding the use of cell phones while driving. Besides this, the national Safety Council also stated that this figure is actually an under-estimation of the number of car accidents caused due to cell phone use and that the actual figure was much more. The actual figure however cannot be estimated as such cases usually go un-reported.
As such, this raises the question as to whether the use of cell phones in cars should be banned?
The question of banning the use of cell phones in cars is a complex one as it involves a lot of considerations such as the impact on the lives of the people, the impact on business, the effects of the ban and the problem of ensuring that people comply with the ban, if enforced.
With all these considerations, it must be determined whether it is in fact feasible to ban cell phone use in cars.
First, it must be considered whether accidents are in fact caused due to cell phone use. From the preceding mentioned data collected by the National Safety Council it is clear that at least 52% of the fatal accidents are caused by the use of cell phones. USA Today reported an expansion of this data. According to the report only 5% of the crashes were caused because the driver was texting. Most of the crashes occur because the drivers are distracted on a call when driving. The report also went on to state that even hands-free devices do not do much to reduce accidents. This is because the accidents occur not because the driver is holding the cell phone and driving, but because the driver is distracted by the call itself. As such whether it’s a hands-free device or not is of absolutely no consequence. (Kratsas, 2014)
The fact that car crashes do result from cell phone use during driving is an undeniable fact.
The second consideration must be devoted to a study of some jurisdictions that have banned the use of cell phones while driving and the effect that the ban has had; whether the ban as been successful, whether the ban has had adverse effects on business and whether the overall number of car crashes have reduced will form a part of the consideration that will help in determining the final question as to whether ban on cell phones while driving is feasible.
Most States in the US ban the use of cell phones by drivers only if the drivers are less than 18 years of age or during the first year of having been granted the license. The rationale for this limited or rather selective restriction follows from the fact that persons who have just learnt driving are more prone to be distracted while attending calls and are therefore more likely to cause accidents.
More experienced drivers will have the presence of mind to avoid causing any accidents.
This however is a very flawed presumption given the statistics reported by the National Safety Council, as stated in the preceding paragraphs of this essay.
However, with the progress in time and after realizing the harm resulting from the use of cell phones by any driver, whether experienced or a novice, most States changed their position and passed laws that prohibit any driver from using cell phones while driving. Fourteen States in the US have banned the use of cell phones by any driver while driving.
The ban is put in place by a primary enforcement regulation. This means that a police officer is entitled to cite a driver who used the cell phone while driving, without any accompanying offence like speeding or jumping a signal.
This regulation was put in place after taking into consideration the dangerous increase in accidents that occurred due to the use of cell phones while driving.
Apart from the ban on cell phones for talking while driving, 46 States of the US followed Washington, which banned texting while driving since the year 2007. (Distracted Driving Laws, 2016)
According to a compilation of research presented by McCart, Kidd and Teoh (2014) all the studies that conducted research on the effect of the ban on cell phone on car crashes showed extremely varied results. There was no uniformity in the empirical data collected by these researchers. They thus came to the conclusion that there was no perceptible increase or decrease in the amount of crashes that occurred following the ban on the use of hand-held devices while driving.
It is thus clear that it might be too early to state with facts and figures, the positive effects of banning cell phones while driving. The change is slow but s definitely desirable. Inculcating people with a sense of responsibility while driving is very important.
Distraction for even a few seconds can prove to be fatal. Banning cell phone use while driving might be a small step in trying to control the rising number of road accidents; but it is definitely an assertive step in the right direction, the effects of which might be visible only a few years later.
The positive effects of banning the use of cell phones when driving is almost a given but what remains to be considered is the adverse effect, if any, that this ban might have on the telecommunications business.
In the same report presented by McCart, Kidd and Teoh (2014), they observed the phone use trend of the drivers in the States that banned cell phone use and compared it with the phone use trend of the drivers in the States where cell phones while driving were not banned.
According to the report, the authors state that over the years there was a perceptible reduction the over-all phone use by the drivers in the States where the use of cell phones while driving were banned.
Apart from the over-all reduction there was also a reduction in the use of hand-held devices by the drivers in the States where the cell phone use was banned. However, whether this translates into a potential loss for the telecommunications company is uncertain.
This is because the number of drivers who reduce over-all phone use is very marginal. Moreover, most drivers are just shifting from hand-held devices to hands-free devices. As such there is no drastic reduction in the number of phone; no reduction that poses a worry for the cell phone companies at least.
Apart from that the States that ban phone use while driving for teenagers, in such States the study reveals that the ban has had absolutely no effect on the over-all cell phone use by the teenagers. They continue to use their phones as before.
The benefits to be derived from banning cell phone use while driving are many.
As the preceding stated survey revealed there are not remarkable or worrying figures insofar as the bans effect on business in concerned.
In the contemporaneous society, cellphones have indeed become a major source of distraction. What made it worse is the improving technology that brought the Internet to the phone. This made all the social networking sites, electronic mail and search engines available on the phone. Therefore, the ban on the use of cell phones cannot center only on the calls, it must also extend to complete use of the phone.
Though texting is shown to have been the cause of fewer accidents as compared to calls the availability of Internet on the phone has opened a new set of problems. The distraction that can be caused because of Internet cannot be over-emphasized.
As such banning only calls will only go half the way in ensuring a reduction in the number of road accidents.
Banning the use of cell phones as a whole is a need of the hour. While under-reporting of fatal accidents caused due to the use of cell phones might present a small figure, the actual figure is quite high. Steps need to taken to stop the use of cell phones while driving to prevent a rise in the statistics of car crashes caused due to cell phone use.
After all where matters of life are concerned, one can never be too careful. Another consideration that requires attention is the enforcement of these bans. In order to ensure that people follow the ban people must be made aware of fatality that could result from distraction due to cell phones. Only then will the ban be effective.
References
Crash Data and Underreporting. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.nsc.org/learn/NSC-Initiatives/Pages/priorities-cell-phone-crash-data.aspx
Kratsas Gabrielle. (2014). Cell Phone use Causes over 1 in 4 Accidents. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/03/28/cellphone-use-1-in-4-car-crashes/7018505/
Distracted Driving Laws. (2016). Retrieved from
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html
McCart Anne, Kidd David and Teoh Eric. (2014). Driver Cellphone and Texting Ban in the United States. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4001674/
