I was totally shocked when I was looking around the internet today and saw that many states do not ban cell phone use while driving. I live in California and we have had a ban on cell phone use while driving since July of 2008 and on texting since January of 2009. Cellular News has a list of the states and countries that ban cell phone use.
Take our poll below and weigh in on how you feel about this topic. What are the laws in your state?
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22 Responses to Should Cell Phone Use Be Banned While Driving?
I am in California too. I am pretty sure you see what I see on a daily basis – drivers ignorning the law. I am not sure why that is. It should noted that drivers can still talk on their phones – they just need a hands-free device. I thought I was one of the last people not to have a Bluetooth or the like, but apparently, I am not, based on what I see when I drive.
It would be interesting to see the numbers re: how many drivers are cited for this infraction. I get the sense the Highway Patrol and other enforcement agencies haven’t made it a huge priority.
On an encouraging note, Oprah has decided to focus on this issue and considering the influence she has, I think that is great.
http://www.oprah.com/packages/no-phone-zone.html
It seems Oprah has come out against any cell phone usage while the car is moving (in other words, it is not enough just to use your cell hands free).
I really think many of us could stand to spend a lot less time on the phone. Might as well cut-back in the car unless you have a business need or an emergency.
BTW, love the picture!
I do agree with the law in California, though I’ve broken it on occasion. I need to get a bluetooth or put some minutes on my OnStar phone. I almost feel like the phone is not *as* distracting as texting (which I think is really bad!), though there is the issue of only having one hand free.
I actually find the radio almost as distracting, especially since I have XM with its billions of channels.
I do sometimes check my texts/voicemails when stopped at red lights. I wonder if I could get a ticket for that?
Thanks Anya. Actually the picture had the f word in it but I did take that out. I don’t really have a problem with that word in there but thought others might.
I don’t watch Oprah anymore so I wasn’t aware of that campaign. Last night there was a man killed in Los Angeles by someone who ran a red light and witnesses said he was talking on his cell phone. The man killed was a father of five. The driver of the vehicle did get out and look and the man he hit and then fled the scene.
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-compton-hit-and-run,0,2215873.story
I do have a blue tooth and I do try and use it always. I have been guilt of answering my phone when my blue tooth was not working at the beginning but I no longer do that. We had a friend that was stopped and ticketed just a week or so ago for using his cell phone while driving. I thought the fine for first time offense was $20 but I believe he said his was over $100. I think it actually should be more.
Here is a link to a recent article on CNN that states the a study done in three states shows that cell phone bans did not reduce car accidents.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/29/cellphone.study/index.html
I am kind of surprised by that and the article states that this recent study has left experts puzzled. I actually believe this should be a federal law and stricter fines should be imposed.
When I got a cell phone my freshman year of college, I had one rule from my parents- don’t talk & drive. To this day, I will not talk on the phone & drive, I will either not answer my phone if it rings, or I will pull over into a parking lot. I once had an employer that was upset that I refused to answer his phone calls when I was on the road but I was working in a very busy downtown area & it was difficult enough to manage driving w/darting pedestrians & 5 lanes of traffic & other cars- throwing a cell phone into the mix would have been very scary for me.
I see people all the time swerving, switching lanes w/out signals, and just being bad drivers that are talking on their phone. I do think it should be banned, but wonder if cops would actually monitor it???
I can’t stand when people text or fiddle with their phones- including dialing while driving. But if my phone rings I’m perfectly capable of answering it while I drive. I rarely drive at 10 and 2 anyway! Its no different for me than if I were talking to the person beside me.
The same goes for radio and gps fiddlers.
I am so against people using their cell phones when they are driving. I tell my hubby the Angels are working overtime just keeping these people safe. I see people doing stupid stuff ALL the time when they have their phone glued to their ear when they are driving. Are you that important to be risking your life and someone elses just by chatting on the phone? People lived without cellphones before and I’m sure you’ll be just okay without one when you’re driving. I’m sorry if I offend anyone but I believe you don’t need to be chatting on a cell phone when you’re driving. That’s what’s voicemail is for. It’s the whole mentality it will never happen to me syndrome. You maybe fine today but it only takes a second for your life to change and someone elses. It’s so not worth it!!!
I agree to an extent Darlene. You shouldn’t be looking at anything other than the road. That goes for being distracted by children- (stop reaching for the backseat!), punching buttons on your GPS, searching xm radio for the right song. The fact is people are distracted by things all the time. In our areas, teens seem to be the ones texting and causing the most accidents- I’m in favor of the licensing age being changed from 16. I do not condone texting or even dialing- but I can press talk on my phone without running off the road or into another car. I can speak into that phone the same way I can speak to the passenger beside me. There has to be some reason applied to these laws.
All I have to say is that someone’s life is far more important than any stupid cell phone conversation. And I say “stupid” because I’m sorry – 99.99999999% of most cell phone conversations are not “emergencies” in my opinion. Stop and think about the conversations you have – even if it is a work-related conversation – was that conversation so important that if you would have caused an accident, would you have felt justified because you were on that important of a call? My question is how many people have to die before this crap is stopped. Sorry, I’m 38 and have spent the majority of my 38 years without a cell phone, and you know what, I survived before I had one. Yes, it is convenient to be able to call whenever I need to without having to be near a regular phone, but I’m sorry, this need to be constantly connected is ridiculous. And the sad thing is…the problem is just going to get worse because this generation is being raised in a world where they have to be instantly connected.
I don’t watch Oprah on a regular basis, but I DID catch her episode regarding talking on your cell and texting while driving, and to be honest I sat on the couch and cried through almost the entire episode. Watching story after story of children, fathers, mothers, being killed by some idiot who thought they were capable of talking on the cell or texting while driving. It would be horrible to be the families of those killed, but it would be just as bad to have to live the rest of your life knowing you ended another life because you just had to answer that call. Yes, everyone thinks they are capable of driving and talking on a cell – all of the people on that show thought they were capable of doing so. The one that really got me was the little girl who was riding her bike home and was 15 peddles of the bike from her driveway and some woman was driving while talking on her cell and hit the little girl. The woman driving the car admitted that she NEVER EVEN SAW the child on the bike. The little girl was killed instantly. Just last year in my area a guy driving a truck glanced down at his ringing cell phone and in that split second the traffic ahead of him came to a sudden stop – by the time he looked up he slammed into multiple vehicles – killing 4.
Sorry to rant….but this topic has really gotten under my skin. A life is more important than a cell phone conversation. We all think we can talk on that phone and drive, and in normal driving conditions maybe we can, but when you have to make a split-second decision because a child darted into the road, or the traffic comes to a sudden stop for no apparent reason, you are going to be far more prepared if you are focusing on your driving, and not a cell phone conversation. Life can change in an instant……if just one life is saved because someone quits talking on their cell and driving, then it is worth it.
Pam – where did you find that picture – I would love to make some copies of the un-edited version and give it to a few people….starting with my husband!
Thanks!
jmax,
Does this work for you?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CUaZNu8Xjgc/SmwMxj7BwqI/AAAAAAAAAVE/PulDWKyHAtE/s320/cellphone.jpg
The fact is people are distracted by things all the time.
I agree. I am not defending talking on a cell phone while driving, necessarily (and it is against the law in CA so I try to avoid it if only to avoid a ticket), but I think it’s become a lightening rod for a host of issues. People drive distracted, period. They talk on the phone (even with a bluetooth, this can be distracting), they talk to other people in the car, they listen to the radio, they fiddle with the radio, they reach in the backseat for something, they put on makeup. Some people read while driving. People EAT while driving – should that be banned? Maybe it should, because I can see it as being problematic on several levels.
If there is evidence that cell phones have caused a spike in accidents – which the study cited above seems to contradict – then that’s one thing. But I think the bigger issue is that for many of us, driving is such a mundane, everyday activity that we just don’t concentrate on it as we should. I have found myself driving familiar routes and being almost surprised when I arrived home – I was on autopilot. Does that mean that my reaction time to, say, a kid darting out in traffic would’ve been worse than if I’d really be focused on driving? I don’t know. I’m not sure what the solution is except to make the conscious choice to avoid distractions while driving, obey the speed limit and try to be as “present” as possible, even if you’re only driving five minutes to the supermarket. I do sometimes think how horrible it would be if I hurt someone while driving; that’s a powerful motivator for me to do my best to avoid distractions.
Well said Jennie. I couldn’t agree more. Personally I’d rather be behind the lady on her phone than the one passing sippy cups an binkys to the back seat.
Jennie- I have thought in the past that eating while driving should be banned, maybe that would help the obesity rates as well???
I appreciate your points- there are a lot of distractions in the car however I guess the cell phone seems to be one that could easily go away.
My DH used to tail gate cars all the time, I told him when he drives he needs to envision that every car in front of him has a baby or children in the back seat- he’s since improved. I think it’s great to have a “motivator” to make one a better driver- whatever works!
Thanks for the link Pam! Works great!
Personally I’d rather be behind the lady on her phone than the one passing sippy cups an binkys to the back seat.
I have been both in my life. I also want to see some evidence that banning cell phone use while driving is going to help reduce accidents. I think it would because, like Darlene, I also see a LOT of lousy drivers with cell phones to their ears.
Now, texting while driving is INSANE. I will confess that the first time I got a text while driving I was tempted to peek at it. In fact, the siren call of the incoming text chime was so strong I pulled over to read it.
I wonder if, after texting becomes just so commonplace for everyone, texting and driving will disappear. People need to practice ignoring the phone and the chimes so that they can ignore it more easily in the car.
Related topic: last Sunday, a woman not only let her cell phone ring in church twice, but she answered it the second time and HAD A CONVERSATION. Everyone sitting near her physically moved away so they did not look like they were with this woman.
I would love to see the sound of sirens become illegal for use in radio advertisements. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been driving down the road & heard a siren, thinking I needed to pull over only to realize that it was my darn radio!
I would love to see the sound of sirens become illegal for use in radio advertisements.
OMG, I totally agree on this. I’ve freaked out a bunch of times trying to figure out where the ambulance is before realizing it’s on the radio. I can’t believe that they are allowed to do that.
I haven’t been over here because I rarely use my cell-phone. I have talked while driving on some of those times. There’s no ban where I live. My concern is mostly on inexperienced teenagers.
I would love to see the sound of sirens become illegal for use in radio advertisements
This is why I came over, I completely agree. I don’t know how many times I’ve been freaked by suddenly hearing a siren right upon me before realizing it’s the radio. It’s just common sense not to do this to people while they are driving. It’s like yelling “fire” in an apt. building.
Regarding sirens in radio commercials: AGREED!
This is a hot button issue for me. About 10 years ago, a friend of mine was rear ended by a woman talking on her cellphone and never noticed my friend stopped at the light. The light had turned green just as she looked up and so she accelerated even more and plowed right into my friend, who was 7 months pregnant. She ended up with 3 broken ribs and a punctured lung. She had 4 small children and ran her own business. Her husband had to take time off work, she had to hire a nanny and she couldn’t move until the baby was born, by c-section because they couldn’t risk a vaginal delivery. She was in severe pain for YEARS after that accident because her ribs couldn’t heal correctly since the baby kept everything out of place anyway. It has caused her a lifetime of pain.
All because someone was chatting with one of her girlfriends on a cell phone.
My mother is THE WORST OFFENDER. She drives me insane with this. Fortunately, she doesn’t even know what texting is!
Put down your phone, and DRIVE!
And I agree, you should put down the burger and fries too!!