Should Individuals Be Able to Conduct Business on the Phone While Driving?

• Author: Holdaway, Kory
• Position: Brief Article

[Yes]

Thanks to cell phones, business people can maintain constant contact with the office and with loved ones anytime, anywhere. The convenience of a cell phone, however, is not without safety concerns when it comes to use of one while driving a car.

It is estimated that 60 percent of cell phone minutes are spent while driving. And as cell phones are not going away, the more pressing issue may be how drivers can reduce the risk of using a cell phone while driving.

In the past year, 40 different states and numerous local governments have proposed regulating how cell phones are used on the roadways of America. New York recently passed the first cell phone legislation on a state level, requiring a driver to use a hands-free cell phone device while the vehicle is in motion. This is similar to legislation proposed during the 2000 Utah legislative session.

Even the cell industry recognizes the hazards of using a cell phone while driving and encourages customers to use hands-free devices and to limit the number of calls made while the vehicle is in motion. Last month, General Motors reported that between 1996 and April 2001 there were 8.1 million hands-free calls made to the "On-Star" system. Of those calls made while the car was in motion, only two resulted in an accident severe enough to deploy an air bag. The safety and security of having a cell phone has been documented in many ways and in many different settings. Numerous lives have been saved across the country due to the motorists' ability to report accidents quickly.

A driver's primary concern should be the operation of his or her vehicle; using a cell phone should be secondary, only after taking the necessary safety precautions.

Let's not ban the cell phone in a vehicle -- let's make it safer. The technology's available -- use it.

[no]

Using a cell phone while driving is risky business. Today we are all pressed for time and for many, increasing productivity means conducting business on a cell phone while driving. But at what cost?

First, research has shown that drivers using a cell phone are...