Talking on the phone while driving is something almost every driver has done. Currently, in most states, it is legal to talk on the phone without a hands free device, but should it be? In a study by Virginia Tech, results showed that activities done when completing a phone call such as: reaching for the phone, looking up the contact, and dialing the number increases the crash risk by three times(“New”). Is one phone call really worth the risk of being seriously hurt in an accident? Talking on cell phones without a hands free device while driving should be illegal because less accidents will be caused by distracted drivers, people would be able to make a call without taking their eyes off the road and drivers would not be tempted to use their …show more content…
At any moment in the United States, nine percent of drivers are talking on cell phones. The use of these mobile devices is the cause of every one in four car accidents. About one hundred people die in car accidents everyday, and 26 of those deaths are caused by cell phone use. Part of the problem is holding the phone, but the bigger part of the problem is in the brain. The activity in the part of the brain that processes moving images decreases by one third when listening to talking, or talking on the phone. This means only about sixty six percent of your brain is focused on driving. To only have a little over half of the brain focused on driving, it is surprising that there are not more accidents due to the number of distracted …show more content…
Thirty one percent of American drivers admitted that they check their email or browse the internet while driving. Every thirty-one out of one hundred drivers is not looking at the road! Also, forty percent of people admitted that they text while they drive, which is illegal in forty-four states, and the District of Columbia. The chances of texting are much greater if the phone is already in people’s hands, and the same goes for checking email or searching the internet. This increases the risk of a crash or a near crash by two times. This is the result of people taking their eyes off the road for an average of only twenty-three seconds(“New”). If twenty-three seconds is enough time to cause an accident, imagine not looking at the road for about a minute to find the cell phone, dial, and make the