Cell Phone Usage While Driving: Not Worth the Risk of a Fatal Accident

Everyone knows that driving and talking on the cell phone can be dangerous, but most people don't think much about answering the phone while they are driving. The amount of time people spend on the cell phone while driving can range from answering a quick call or calling for directions to the people who spend their while commute on the phone. Talking on a cell phone even for a minute while driving distracts you, and makes it more dangerous for you and the drivers around you.

I was in an accident because someone was talking on their cell phone while driving. My husband and I were stopped at a traffic light when a lady pulling out of a driveway pulled directly into the side of our car. I was stunned when my husband and I got out of the car. The lady that hit us was on the cell phone with her daughter and she was telling her daughter about the accident. I was thinking she needed to get off the phone and deal with the accident since we were in the middle of the street but she just continued talking to her daughter. My husband and I moved our car into a parking lot that was nearby, and we called the called the police. The driver of the other car just stayed on her cell phone and left her car blocking the road.

When the Police officer got there he saw the situation, and he asked the lady if she was on her cell phone when we got in the accident. She said she was then she re-thought and changed her answer to say that she called her daughter right after the accident. The Officer explained that accidents are more common and are more often fatal when one of the drivers is on a cell phone. He said that talking on cell phones is very dangerous and should be considered as dangerous as driving drunk. He made a police report of the accident and he gave the other driver a ticket for not moving her from blocking other cars.

The driver of the other car refused to pay us for the damages to our car. We had to take her to small claims court. The judge asked her if she was on the phone when she got in the accident and she denied it. Later during the case he asked why she called her daughter so quickly after the accident, and she got confused and answered "I didn't car her, I was already on the phone with her" . This made everyone realize that she had been lying the whole time, and that she was on her cell phone when she got in the accident. It was obvious that the reason she hit us was because she wasn't paying enough attention because she was talking on the cell phone. Our damages were paid for, but the whole experience of the accident will be something I never forget.

I never realized how serious driving and using a cell phone could be. I have to admit before this accident I would sometimes talk on my phone while driving. After the accident I realize how dangerous it is. The NHTSA has found then when you use a cell phone while driving you are four times more likely to get in a accident. That statistic is so scary to me. I do everything I can to avoid getting into a auto accident, why would I do something that would increase my chance that much.

Since my accident I have been telling all my friends and family about how dangerous using a cell phone while driving can be. I know when I teach my kids to drive I am going to explain to them that they should never use a cell phone while driving. That if they need to call someone they can always pull over to the side of the road and make a call. I think most people are naive and don't realize how dangerous cell phone usage while driving is. I think once people are more informed of the risks of using a cell phone while driving, they will stop.