Brad Gardner Eng215 Week 10 Hang up final

Hang Up: It's Not Just Your Life

Although it appears to be a common sense notion, the differences in laws and regulations regarding the use of mobile devices while driving are not the same from state to state. No one person is a better-distracted driver than the next. Mobile device policies, regulations, and laws should not be any different from federal seat belt laws; make them consistent, not subjective.

Everyday people can make a change; make better choices, to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. People can make a simple decision to hang up our cell phone before getting into our car and driving. People can choose not to accidently run over a young child walking across the street on their way to school due to the distraction of a cell phone. It sounds simple enough to do; yet, every second, someone decides to take that child's life. They decide that it is more important to answer their phone or reply to a text while driving over the wellbeing of others.

Distracted driving and its repercussions have been a growing concern since the first-day drivers began using mobile devices. The first cellular phones became available for consumer use in the mid-80s. Widespread use was not marked for almost another decade. In the early 90s, less than 4.5 million people used cell phones. Over the last 15 or so years the population of cell phone users has spiked to over 230 million, according to statistics from the Insurance Information Group (cellphonesafety, 2013). With the continuing rise in the number of mobile device users, it is only logical to infer that the dangers of distracted driving will continue to escalate. It is a serious problem for drivers, and there is a large discrepancy where our laws are concerned. The convenience of small hand-held devices should be given a great deal more attention than it is receiving.