Car accidents could happen anytime and anywhere on the road no matter how well protected the driver, and often these unfortunate events happen due to something that had become an integral part of everyday modern living: the cellphone. Though these fancy gadgets are a convenience for our lives, they could also prove to be dangerous distractions while driving.
Cellphones are communication tools by using its texting and calling features, both of which could divide the driver’s attention from the road and possibly make them miss signs of danger. Texting while driving would make the driver divert his or her eyes from the road to the phone’s LCD screen, while taking to someone by calling them on the phone would result in the driver to concentrate a bit on the conversation while driving. Either way, these actions would make the driver more absentminded while driving, which is usually the cause of most car accidents in the country.
Because of the distraction and possible danger that cellphone could be, there have been bans on cellphone use while driving in many states in order to lessen and even prevent car crashes that are caused by them. There have already been increasing awareness of the issue, and many safety measure points have been raised to lessen the risks of cellphone-related car accidents.
Such an example of these safety points includes using blocking software on cellphones so that drivers would not be distracted by them or even be forced to use them while driving. There are already some cellphone blocking software available for purchase, but this only applies for GPS-smart phones and not on the regular Cellphones. There have also been suggestions that there should be some road signs put up on certain places on the roads where drivers should not use their cellphone while driving through and that they should give their full attention to their driving instead.
Meanwhile, the effect of implementing the cellphone ban in some states has yet to be felt. There have been no decrease of car crashes despite the ban, and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) pointed out that that collision rates have not changed either. The possible reasons for this lacking effect of the ban could be two things: the news of cellphone ban have not been properly propagated amongst people so drivers still continue to use their phones while driving, or that the ban have not been properly implemented at all.
Despite the little effect that the cellphone ban had done, there are many states joining in the advocacy of not using Cellphones while driving. Many are hoping that further and more proper implementation of the ban would help to decrease the number of car crashes across the country.
