Look at the road, not this title!

Traffic violence is a public health crisis and should be treated as such. Every day, it kills 90 people and injures over 8,000 (5,000+ permanently).1 If a disease forever sickened a city the size of Chicago every year, everybody would work to cure it. We need this urgency for auto accidents. Cell phones cause 26% of these accidents nationwide.6 However, 19 states allow hand-held phones in cars.2

One would think the other 31 states have fewer car crashes. They do not because people are switching to hands-free devices. 80% of Americans believe hands-free devices are safe.8 However, both handheld and hands-free devices block half of a driver’s view.4 Yet, no state has a complete hands-free device ban and 10 states have no restrictions.2 The National Safety Council and the AAA support banning hands-free phone use.4, 5 Such bans could be enforced through “high visibility mobilization.” Informing drivers of increased police enforcement of a law has worked for drunk driving, speeding, and seat belts.3 To decrease distracted driving deaths, there should be national standards regarding handheld and hands-free phone use.

But establishing nationwide guidelines is easier said than done. Thus, when governments cannot act, we must take ownership. Guns kill about as many people as cars do;10 I wouldn’t use my phone or have a conversation while firing a gun. Why do so while driving a car? If I impulsively grab my phone upon receiving a notification, I should put it out of reach. I can wirelessly connect it to Bluetooth for emergencies, but usually notifications can wait. When I am safe in my car, people can pick up on my behavior and copy it in their cars.

I consider if I most value my Snapchat streak or my living streak. If someone chooses their Snapchat streak, they should explain that decision to Marianela Murillo and her kids John and Lisa. They died when a driver using Snapchat’s speedometer at 115 mph slammed into Murillo’s van.11 I know that nothing on my phone is worth a life.

I don’t have any vivid memories of irresponsible driving, but I, like everyone else, have heard texting while driving is bad. But each distracted driving death is one too many times that the message did not get across. For inspiration, one can look at Norway’s driver education system. The student-teacher relationship ensures that everything taught can be imagined on the road. As the teacher introduces more of the variables involved in driving, the student learns the importance of focus.9 This may be why Norway has the 3rd fewest traffic deaths per capita and per vehicle.7

Every time a driver uses a cell phone and kills someone is a failure of our government and society to stop traffic violence. If the government cannot enact national cell phone usage guidelines, we must take responsibility for our dangerous actions in cars. That is why driver education must illustrate to people the deadly risks of losing focus on the road. Unlike text messages, this cannot wait.

References (APA)

1. Car accident statistics in the U.S. [Infographic]. (n.d.). Retrieved

2. Cellular phone use and texting while driving laws. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2019, from National Conference of State Legislatures website: http://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/cellular-phone-use-and-texting-while-driving-laws.aspx

3. The Editors. (2009, July 18). Should cellphone use by drivers be illegal? Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/should-cellphone-use-by-drivers-be-illegal/

4. Hersman, D. A.P. (2018, January 11). Distracted driving dangers and solutions. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from National Safety Council website: https://www.nsc.org/company/speeches-testimony/testimony-textalyzer

5. How effective are new distracted driving laws? (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2019, from

6. Lane, K. (2014, March 25). NSC releases latest injury and fatality statistics and trends [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.nsc.org/Portals/0/Documents/NewsDocuments/2014-Press-Release-Archive/3-25-2014-Injury-Facts-release.pdf

7. List of countries by traffic-related death rate. (2019, July 6). In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

8. Mohn, T. (2014, April 28). Most drivers believe hands-free cell phones are safer - a mistake, a new poll says. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2014/04/28/most-drivers-believe-hands-free-cell-phones-are-safer-a-mistake-a-new-poll-says/

9. Rismark, M., & Sølvberg, A. M. (2007). Effective dialogues in driver education. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 39(3), 600-605. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.aap.2006.10.008. https://www.cambsdriveiq.co.uk/Effective_dialogues_in_driver_education.pdf

10. Thompson, D. (2018, December 19). More U.S. kids dying from guns, car accidents. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/children/news/20181219/ more-us-kids-dying-from-guns-car-accidents

11. WTSP Staff. (2016, October 28). Snapchat video shows driver going 115 mph moments before fatal crash. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/snapchat-video-shows-driver-going-115-mph-moments-before-fatal-crash/67-343749053