By
Laura Helm
Concern over the use of cell phones while driving is on the rise, with good reason. Those who chat while behind the wheel are causing an increasing number of accidents. These drivers are putting everyone on the road at risk. Cell phones are clearly not a fad, and legislation against using them while driving should be set into action.
Use of hand-held cellular phones while driving has already been banned in Suffolk County, NY. If a driver is caught on a non-emergency call, the result is a $150 fine. We should enact this type of legislation, at least around the university due to the high rate of pedestrian traffic around the campus area. Too often, students using cell phones while driving are more occupied with the phone than with the foot and bicycle traffic they are moving in.
Cast your mind, if you will, towards a jaunt across one of the campus streets. As the light changes, you step off the sidewalk. Thank heavens you were paying attention, for the girl in the BMW coupe nearly took you out. Heart racing, your shock turns to anger as you notice that she was talking on her cell phone. She was so preoccupied by her discussion over what to wear to the bars that evening or how Mister Fraternity never returned her phone call. Three blocks later, while trying to dial a number, she fails to see the light changing until it is too late. BAM, a crushed fender and bumper result, causing delays, annoyance and irritation. Police should cite and fine those who cause accidents or fail to avoid accidents, by talking on the phone.
Attention spans have been dwindling since man was able to stop hunting for food. We see it daily as students stare off in space during class. It seems as if the whole world suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder. As it is, driving in Tucson takes as much concentration as can be mustered. This is scary, considering that most people have trouble reading a book in one sitting anymore. Now, add a cell phone into the equation. As it rings, drivers struggle to find the source in their bag or purse. Or, worse yet, there is the frantic up and down head movement of those trying to dial a number while driving. Drivers should be placing their full attention on the road, if not for their safety, then for the safety of others. A legally imposed fine would lessen the danger and damage cell phone use has wrought on Tucson streets.
Slowed reaction time is one of the reasons that driving while intoxicated is so dangerous- and so illegal. Using a hand-held cell phone leaves drivers with greatly limited response capabilities. Control of a vehicle is severely hindered when there is only one hand on the wheel. Turning a corner, checking for traffic and shifting gears with only one hand is hard. The display of dexterity, while impressive, is dangerous, especially for a society filled with people who can not walk and chew gum without tripping. If a cyclist comes whizzing past while one hand is shifting and the other is holding a phone, controlling the car while braking is impossible. The inability to respond fast enough is reason enough for legislation against the impairing factor.
Face it, students using cell phones while driving are not conducting urgent business. They are chatting inanely. Balancing their choice of a CD with their gossip, and removing the all-important traffic into the background. Using a headset with a cell phone does free hands for turning the wheel and shifting, however, it does not lessen the distraction level of the phone in the car. For if the headset is not on when a call comes in, then the struggle to answer remains. This time, the user must get the headset on. The cord is usually tangled, which calls for more concentration on the cord than on the road. While on the phone, the headset user is still dividing their concentration. Despite all this, these devices are still remarkably more road safe than their primitive manual counterparts. In a perfect world, all cell phone use while driving would be finable, or natural selection will continue to take its toll.
