Cell Phones and Driving Don’t Mix

If you go to http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/laws/cellphonelaws/maphandheldcellbans you will find a map of the different states and their laws in regards to cell phones.  As I looked at different laws it seems that the one law that they virtually all have in common is the absolutely no texting by any driver.

Shouldn’t all the states have the same laws when it comes to cell phones?  The time has come for a federal law. Now, if you are a responsible driver it really doesn’t matter what the laws are. We all know that cell phones and driving causes accidents, some leading to death of the driver or innocent victims of another moving vehicle.  Everyone should be aware that texting causes accidents.

How many people who think that they “got this” have to die for people to realize that texting and driving don’t mix.  According to the CDC website  http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/9 people are killed and more than 1060 people are injured in accidents everyday that are caused by distracted driving.

Of those injured it doesn’t say how many suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the accident.  Typically for every death there are an equal number of severe brain injuries and 10-20 times mild to moderate.  That could mean 250 or more brain injuries every day because of texting and driving.

Think of the lives that could be saved and brain injuries prevented if the law was ”no cell phone usage while driving”, period.  Not only be a law but be strictly enforced.  Once they put it in to law that everyone must wear a seatbelt and starting enforcing it I would say that the percentage of people who wear seatbelts has dramatically increased.  If you were in danger of being pulled over because you were talking on the phone, not to mention texting, you would be much more likely to abide by the law and leave your cell phone in your pocket, purse or out of reach while driving.