Users ringing up more risks.

• Position: Cell Phones - Brief article

Carrying a cell phone may cause some college students--especially females--to take risks with their safety, suggests a study from Temple University, Philadelphia. A survey reveals that 40% of cell phone users say they walked somewhere after dark that they normally would not go. A separate survey found that about three-quarters of students maintain that carrying a cell phone while walking alone at night made them feel somewhat or a lot safer.

"Students seem to feel less vulnerable when they carry a cell phone, although there is no evidence that they really are," the study states. "If anything, they are probably less safe because they are paying less attention to their surroundings."

Women report feeling a greater sense of safety from carrying a cell phone than do male students, probably because they feel more vulnerable in the first place. As a result, more women than men indicate that, if...