Studies have shown that driving while on a cell phone is tantamount to driving while intoxicated. Even with this data, the dangers of driving while using a cellphone are rarely publicized and are often in the shadows of other driving issues, such as driving while intoxicated and teenage driving.

Lately, states have been passing bans on the use of cell phones in the car while in the first few years of teenage driving. Is this enough, or just a way to limit teen driving? What about those who aren't teens but are new drivers? Should the ban apply to them as well? Why or why not? What can be done to alert people to the dangers of cellphone use while behind the wheel? Who should be limited, why, and how?

A study (can't remember where I heard it from) showed that talking normally on a cell phone doesn't drastically impair driving. It's only when you use the visual parts of the brain that performance becomes impaired (trying to explain map directions, trying to visualize landmarks, etc.)
Problems are that people on the other side of the phone doesn't know when to hush up when driving becomes more attention consuming and that most accidents happen in that split second you stop paying attention or lose awareness when driving.

It's stupid people with cell phones. And who is to say by just looking at someone if they're stupid or not? Your observation goes down when you talk on a phone and drive. And you need all your attention. As a personal note, Jenos. If you're texting to me, please, please don't do it while you're driving!

I do believe I already mentioned that. The problem isn't cell phones, it's stupid people.

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if they know what they are doing.

And I doubt a lot of people do.

Sometimes, but that's the thing, I use the T9 system, and I know all the alphanumeric locations of the buttons, so I can do it without taking my eyes off the road. Not to mention I learned driving from my father, who did it for his job and was trained very strictly. I know how to drive. Like I said, it isn't as much of a distraction as people think, they just use it as a scapegoat because they don't want to admit how stupid they are. I believe it is absolutely possible for someone to have the mental capacity to drive and talk on the phone at the same time if they know what they are doing.

I refuse to talk to anyone on the phone when they're driving. Even if you "think" you can do it, pull over, and pay attention to one thing, because as soon as you split your attention, you're either paying more attention to the road or to the phone, and you need all your attention on the road. Who's to say what's going to happen next? Your phone can't save your life, but your full attention of your surroundings might. (Jenos, you better not be driving any time you text me)

Personally, I think it's stupid to talk on the phone and drive, but I am sort of for the thinning the herd idealism that my father has. If you're stupid enough to drive and talk on the phone and you hurt yourself, that's your perogative. If, however, you hurt others, and not yourself, that's just wrong. I draw the line when it comes to hurting people other than yourself

Any person that isn't completely stupid can hold a conversation on a phone and still drive just fine. I do it all the time, and I have a flawless driving record. All the people that have problems driving while talking on a cell phone are just stupid, an ever-increasing percentage of the US population.

Hi Ikki.

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next we'll be hearing its illegal to eat and have a soda while driving.

It should be.

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its bad but wont stop and it will never be illegal

That's the spirit!

its bad but wont stop and it will never be illegal

I understand the dangers of driving with a cell phone, but anyone could argue with anything in the car. You know, next we'll be hearing its illegal to eat and have a soda while driving. The laws are trying to make things better but in an essence they are just limiting us even more, thus causing so much more rebellion.

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But just because it's hands free does that make it any less distracting? You're still using part of your brain to converse when you should be using all of your potential brain to drive.

The only problem with this argument is that if you ban driving with a cell phone because its distracting to hold a conversation then it should also be illegal to drive and talk to anyone.

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i sugget geting a bluetooth or something so that you have your hands free. that's one alternative.

But just because it's hands free does that make it any less distracting? You're still using part of your brain to converse when you should be using all of your potential brain to drive.

I am against driving while on a cell phone. it definitely is distracting and dangerous to others cuz you're not at your full attention. i sugget geting a bluetooth or something so that you have your hands free. that's one alternative.

I would support a total ban. Very, very few people are so important that they need to have constant access to a working phone. Humanity got along just fine without that for a long, long time.

But perhaps if you were one of those people who had a very good reason for needing constant phone access, there could be some sort of special permit you could apply for. Of course, that would open the door to a whole mess of bureaucratic hassle, and the debates about what constituted a valid reason would last until eternity.

Like Meg said, the constitution argument is total BS, and the whole thing is very hard to justify on any grounds. If you refuse to wear a seatbelt, you're potentially doing a lot of damage to yourself. If you refuse to turn off the phone, you're potentially doing a lot of damage to everyone on the road.

One question to add to the discussion: how do you guys feel about portal GPS units? My dad uses one whenever we go on vacation, and there have been a few moments when it's led to pretty distracted driving.

You can't really use the Constitution argument here. Public safety always trumps personal liberties, that's why we can have a speed limit and other traffic regulations.

I understand the usefulness of using a cell phone, and I can see situations where it would be justified to make a phone call while driving. It really has gotten out of hand though, but as someone who uses her cell phone every so often while driving, I really can't argue that it should be outright banned. There still are some cell phone using drivers who still make driving their number one priority.

I think maybe the best thing to do would be to make it like many states' seatbelt laws: it is against the law to not wear a seatbelt, but the police can't pull you over for it. They would have to pull you over for some other violation, and then they can add penalties for the seatbelt violation. This could include things such as speeding, driving erratically and failing to use a directional indicator. This would help the problem of having people driving in an unsafe manner, while not punishing everyone who makes a phone call.

Texting while driving is just inexcusable. You can't tell me that you can look at your phone and the road at the same time...it's just not possible.

(Funny note: today I had called my mom while I was driving to let her know I was on my way home, and did I need to pick up anything, I got her voicemail. I must not have been paying attention to my cell phone when I dialed, because I get a call from my friend later letting me know that there was a good chance my mother never got that message...because she found it in her own voicemailbox.)

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Thats okay. Do you get the point I was trying to make though. If they do ban it in all states there will be some people who are strongly opposed to the idea.

Yes. I understand. There is always people who oppose things though. To me it doesn't make sense not to ban it.

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I'm sorry if it came across that way but I knew that wasn't your opinion. I was just commenting on that one argument. I wasn't connecting you to it.

Thats okay. Do you get the point I was trying to make though. If they do ban it in all states there will be some people who are strongly opposed to the idea.