Driving While Talking Should Be Banned

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Driving while talking should be banned. When a cell phone goes off in a movie theatre or at a concert it is very irritating but, at least our lives are not endangered. When we are on the road, irresponsible cell phone users are more than irritating; they are putting our lives at risk. When certain kinds of driver behaviors are shown to be especially dangerous, we wisely draft special laws making them illegal imposing specific punishments, so talking on a cell phone in a moving vehicle should be no exception. Many of us have witnessed drivers dialing and talking on cell phones, resembling drunk drivers swerving all over the roads. Strong regulations are needed because drivers using phones are seriously impaired and because laws on negligent and reckless driving are not sufficient to punish these driving talkers. Laws on traffic safety vary from state to state, and drivers distracted by cell phones can get off with light punishment even when they cause fatal accidents. Running red lights, failing to stop for a school bus and drunk driving are just a few examples. An increasing number of studies show that driving while talking on a cellphone can be dangerously distracting. Yet most states have not banned handheld phones, and most have not banned all drivers from using hands-free devices. Some say cellphone bans are simply not enforceable. Others argue that drivers do all sorts of distracting things while driving, like eating, arguing with kids in the back seat and listening to music so it makes little sense to outlaw one activity. According to the president of the National Safety Council “talking on a cellphone while driving makes a person four times more likely to be in a crash, which has a much higher risk than most other distracting activities, it’s the cellphone conversation that diverts people’s attention from the road” (Froetscher 2). There is no
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