Research Paper
Driving Under the Influence: Cell Phones
According to Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider, texting and driving can be as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol. The effects of drinking and driving are well-known throughout the country, but the negative effects of texting and driving have not always been considered as serious to people. Texting or using a cell phone while driving can be extremely hazardous for both the driver and any civilian. If driving under the influence is illegal in all fifty states, why is it that texting and driving is not? The negative effects of texting and driving are enough to have the use of cell phones banned in all motor vehicles across the United States.
The increase of cell phone use in cars has led to the increase of distracted driving accidents throughout the country. Texting and driving is a growing plague that has spread with the growth of cell phone use in the United States. According to EBSCO, “At any given minute, though, 800,000 drivers are using cell phones or texting, putting themselves and others at risk” (EBSCO). The amount of drivers using cell phones while operating a motor vehicle in the United States has risen to an astonishing height. A law needs to be created to eliminate the use of cell phones in cars across the United States. Such a law would cut down on the number of drivers using a cell phone while driving, and thus lower the amount of distracted driving accidents. Another reason that the use of cell phones while driving a car should be banned is because studies have proven texting and driving to be worse than drinking and driving (EBSCO). According to the same EBSCO article, “’Cell phone distractions have been proven to be as dangerous as drinking and driving,’ Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider said, ‘These laws will stiffen distracted driving laws and save lives’” (EBSCO). Schneider was referring to the law banning texting and driving in the...