Do you support Cell Phone Driving Laws?

Question

I'm writing a persuasive speech for my college speech class on the support for cell phone driving laws.

Personally, I believe there should be a law (I live in Hawaii, no law here) but when I took a survey of my class, majority responded that we shouldn't have one. (Everyone of them said they talked on their phone while driving.)

i thought this was strange, especially because majority responded that they thought driving while talking on a phone was dangerous.

So, my question for you all is: Do you support a ban on (or a law banning) cell phone usage while driving? Why or why not?

I'd like to see whether or not answers on yahoo reflect the opinion of my class. And I can also get input from people from other states.

Thank you! :]

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

I do not support the laws and feel they need to be stricter. I think there should be no talking on a cell phone in the car. Period. Pull over, get off the road. The technology convenience of this device has caused many problems and as someone who is entirely aware of the cause and effect hits on a personal level and passionate issue for me. As a survivor of a horrific car accident due to a "lovely woman" who thought talking on her cell phone was more important than watching the road and practicing her driving skills, my life has changed from an active young woman with a child and husband to sitting on the sidelines watching the parade go by.....Even though the laws are there, they are not necessarily enforced. I think that is the main issue - it's a law that is not enforced, you can argue til you are blue in the face, but if its a law and no fines are given to anyone in a car with 4 kids hanging out the window while the mom is talking on her cell phone to her girlfriend about how her husband is driving her nuts and she needs to get out of the house - or a guy drinking coffee on his way to work listening to voicemails from the day before, smoking a cigarette. There is a reason for "hands on the wheel" and a car is a dangerous vehicle no matter how much you think you can "multi-task" you can't make that split decision properly when something jumps in your path without anything else distracting you, how are you going to make with the distractions? Would someone want to be driven to the airport and have the driver talk on his cell phone in rush hour traffic weaving in and out to get you to your destination making plans for after he drops you off. Would you like to see a policeman running to a scene of a crime @ high speed checking his voicemail? Only "you" can enforce the law by example. Hang up - it can wait until you get out of the car or stop the car and pull over - Nothing is THAT important to talk about. Do you really need to find a pen to write something down while you are driving? Is that call worth life or death or hurting someone unintentionally? Yes, an accident is an accident, but it’s a fault, when you contribute to it by just not thinking. So, Think about that next time you reach across the car for your cell phone - it only takes a split second to change your life forever.

Source(s):

personal experience

Answer 2

Yes, there should be a ban. There was actually a ban placed in my state earlier this week.

It distracts people.. I mean.. how many times have you driven behind a total moron on the highway.. who is driving 20 below the limit and not looking before making lane changes. Once you pass him/her you glance over and they are blabbing away on their cell phones. It's completely inevitable that it would pose a barrier in their attention while on the road.

Answer 3

Absolutely I live in TN and we do have laws banning it yet everyone still jaws away drifting into my lane and forcing me off the damn road.

Answer 4

Yes, I support the ban. California has the ban in place as of this year. Cell phones are a distraction; you hands are not available to handling emergency maneuvers, you are paying more attention to the conversation than the road. Quite frankly, it was already against the law as it is against the law to do anything (eat, put on makeup, look at a map) that is distracting to the driver. It just needed to be spelled out to those that are ignorant to the law.

Answer 5

well just like all things it would be ok if people didn't abuse it. If someone just carried on a conversation while paying full attention to the road that would be one thing, but then if you have someone talking on the phone, doing make up, eating, etc. all at one time that results in a deadly combination, so no personally i don't think their should be a ban because i'm someone that doesn't try to abuse not having a ban but then again i don't know.

Answer 6

No, I think they are stupid and serve no real purpose. The idea behind them is that talking on a cell phone distracts the driver and increases the chances of an accident occuring. Many municipalities have since instituted drivers must have a hands free device.

Although, I agree that talking on a cell phone and driving does create a distraction, I argue so does the use of a hands free device. As an example, even if one has a hands free device they are still distracted by the call.

Moreover, there are many other things that cause distracted driving that aren't illegal such as, eating, smoking, trying to put on make up, changing the radio station, having kids in the car, talking to other passengers and whatever else people do while in thier vehicles.

In my opinion, the only purpose that these laws serve is to genrate revenues for the munipalites and cell phone companies. As an example, our city has a $100 fine for the first offence, $250 for the second and so on for each offense there after. Not too mention how much it cost to buy a hands free device, or update ones phone to a unit that supports the technology required to use a hands free device, if one has an older model phone.

Best of luck with your argument.