Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

EDITORIAL: Cell phones and driving don't mix
Staff Editorial
The Crimson White (U. Alabama)
07/07/2006

(U-WIRE) TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As if bumper stickers telling you to put the phone down and drive wasn't a sign, a new federally funded survey has shown that talking on your cell while driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving.

We know from personal experience that it is difficult to concentrate on the road while we are trying to punch numbers into a cell phone.

Many students have seen Mr. Student Cell Phone User. Yep, he's the guy that sits at the green light, texting his friends about where to go for lunch. Or Ms. Student Cell Phone User who reaches down to try and find her cell phone in her purse. But, even "good" cell phone users aren't faring so well on our roadways.

According to the researchers who worked on the University of Utah study, talking on a cell phone while driving is equal to driving at the legal blood-alcohol limit, .08.

That's pretty scary stuff.

We get lectures from teachers, professors, our parents and television about the dangers of driving while drunk. But many of us never get that lecture about not talking on our cell phones while driving.

Looking at it, maybe we've missed the forest for the trees.

Almost everyone who has a cell phone uses it at some point in the day while driving, and it's practiced so much that driving with as little control over the wheel as possible has become commonplace.

It feels innocent, but in the face of research like that released in the study, it's obvious that cell phone use while driving needs more regulation. We all know it's dangerous, but no one has been likely to rain on anyone's parade until now.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are the only states that have put restrictions on cell phone use while driving, but you can expect that number to go up in the next few years.

It can't be forgotten that there are times when people are on the road and have to take phone calls, so the regulations don't need to be harsh, but they do need to be designed in a way that can strongly discourage people from just making casual calls while they're ducking between traffic at 80 mph.

Hands-free devices for cell phones could be the best temporary solution to the problem of drivers getting distracted by their phone conversations, especially if their cell phones have voice dialing systems.

It won't eliminate all of the distractions, but it would allow drivers the opportunity to talk on the phone and take full control of the wheel while they fight with their boyfriend or talk about how mad they are about France beating Portugal.

Our View is the consensus of the CW editorial board.

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