Cell Phone Texting and Driving - Laws and Bans

Cell phones have become a major part of everyday life for people across the world. We use them not only for phone calls, but for internet, gaming, and texting. New devices like iPhones and Blackberries have made it more convenient to text with touch screens and Qwerty keypads. Using a cell phone has become a natural habit for most owners, but it is easy to forget how distracting and dangerous it can be while driving a car.

Recent studies have been conducted showing that using a cell phone while driving can be more distracting than impaired driving. Cell phone use driving greatly reduces your reaction time since your eyes are not watching traffic. It is estimated that you are 6 times more likely to be an accident while calling, reading, or texting with your cell phone. This number increases dramatically for heavy vehicles like trucks, busses and large vans.

The toll of texting while driving is astounding. Every year thousands of accidents are caused by a distracted driver using a cell phone. The vast majority of these accidents are caused by teens under the age of 20. Since mobile phones are no longer just for adults, this creates a major hazard for young teen drivers.

The government is starting to realize how dangerous using a cell phone while driving is, so they have been introducing new laws to stop it. In many regions using a mobile while driving can earn you a serious fine (up to $500) and even jail time. Not all countries and states have issued driving bans, but people are pushing their governments to implement them. Since texting and driving is so dangerous, eventually it will be outlawed everywhere. New talk and text messaging bans are being introduced each month. Unfortunately it may take many more accidents before the laws are passed everywhere.

The ban on cell phone driving has caused many people to change their driving and talking habits. The law makers realize that sometimes it is necessary to talk on a cell phone while driving. So they have implemented a compromise. In most regions you can still talk on your phone if it is equipped with a hands free device. These devices are very cheap, and will work with every cell phone.

You can do your part to help stop cell phones driving. This site was started to educate, and hopefully prevent cell phone driving accidents. Do your best to inform your friends about the dangers of using a cell phone while driving, and remember, no cell phone is worth risking your life over.

We are working hard to update this site each week, please check back soon for more cell phone driving articles.