Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I’ve made a pact with myself. No more cell phone use while driving. I’m surprised at how difficult it’s been to keep that promise, so I took a good hard look at the facts.

We love our cell-phones – as of last year, there are over 270 million of us. 81 percent of these people admit to using cell phones while driving. Research from 7 years ago showed that cell-phone use played a role in over 270,000 crashes, though that number could easily be considered conservative since it relies on driver’s confessions.

None of this is too shocking. But this part of the story is. A 20-yo man with an otherwise perfect driving record was on his cell phone when he ran through a red light, hitting a car and killing the driver. After pleading guilty to negligent homicide, he is driving again and says he rarely talks when he drives now. Wait an minute – “rarely”?

And, he has experimented with a hands-free headset. Unfortunately, it’s not hard to guess, research shows that headsets can be as dangerous as holding a phone – it’s the distraction that puts everyone at risk, not driving with one hand.

Also surprising, he states that he is now often a passenger in friend’s cars who still use their phones and, though uncomfortable, doesn’t want to badger drivers about the risk.

It’s hard to believe that even after the worst has happened, someone could still be reluctant to give up the luxury of phoning while driving. Or, allow friends to face the same fate. I’m just as guilty. I used my cell phone while driving at least two more times even after reading this NY Times article. I’ve talked to my sister on the phone while she was driving and didn’t tell her to hang up. But I’m done now, even if it takes putting the phone in the back seat or telling my loved ones to call back once they’ve reached their destination.

Any of us could have been in this situation, so count your blessings. But I hope that we don’t need to have our own disaster – or even a close call – in order to change our ways. Do it today. Tell your friends. Save someone’s life, save your future.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 at 5:35 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.