News Report #3

"Should Motorists Ever Talk on the Phone?"
By Stephanie Chen
Monday February 16, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/16/cellphones.driving.safety/index.html?eref=rss_tech

This article is about the effects of talking on cell phones while driving. Countless studies have been done recently relating to this problem that causes many accidents on the road, and the majority of them return the same results. According to professor David Strayer, talking on the phone while driving is, “just as bad as driving drunk.” One thing I found interesting about these studies is talking on a headset or other device where you can put both hands on the wheel doesn’t effect your attention to the road. Even though you may look like you’re focused on driving, you still do not have full attention on what you are doing.

This article brings forth many truths about driving while talking on the phone. In today’s society, nearly everyone has a cell phone and nearly all cell phone owners use it while driving their car. The article noted that four out of five people talk on their cell phones on the road. I think this is a major problem that is being overlooked in today’s world. There have been so many car accidents relating to cell phone use, and all of them can easily be avoided. I am from Washington, DC and up there they have a law against cell phone use while driving. You can be pulled over and given a ticket for it, and although it does get annoyiing when someone calls me while I’m driving and I can’t answer it, I know it is the right thing to do. I believe more cities should adopt such laws and make these unnecessary accidents decline for good.