Driving in 2020 is extremely different than 50 years ago because of the cell phone. Edgar Snyder and Associates, a personal injury law firm, states, “The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.” Every one of these crashes could have been prevented by having self control on the roads.

Ellen E. Pastorino, an author with a Ph.D. in psychology, states, “our brain is not capable of fully concentrating on two things simultaneously.” When drivers use their phone and drive concurrently, they divert all of their attention onto their electronic device. As a result, they are not paying attention to the road and pose a serious danger to others. 

Even though using a cell phone while driving has been proven dangerous, a survey conducted of 53 Wheaton Warrenville South students shows that 55.6% of people see 1-5 people driving on a cellphone every day and 22.6% see 6-10 people driving on a cell phone every day. It is evident that driving distracted has become a trend in recent years although it has been proven to be a dangerous practice.

Cell phones contain plenty of distractions that could divert the drivers attention off of the road. Although people are distracted by hundreds of applications while sitting at home, only a few phone distractions affect individuals while driving. Ben Gorski, a senior at Wheaton Warrenville South, states that drivers on their phone are “usually changing music or texting someone about plans.” 

Many people are physically affected by this problem too. According to the survey of 53 Wheaton Warrenville South students, 43.4% of people know one person who has been involved in a car crash due to a cell phone. Every single car crash has the potential to be fatal, or they can pose serious injuries to an individual’s health.

Brian Beltz, a writer for Safer America, states, “One of every four car accidents in the United States is caused by phone usage behind the wheel.” Not only is this statistic saddening, but the injuries caused by these car crashes are devastating. 

Recently, police have noticed this trend and are starting to take action to prevent phone usage while driving. For example, 28.3% of students surveyed state that they know one person who has received a ticket for using a phone while on the roads. The costly ticket should prevent the driver from acting dangerously within their vehicles in the future.

It is extremely important that drivers take action and avoid the dangers of phone usage while driving. Ashley Zima, a senior at Wheaton Warrenville South, states, “put [the] phone in a secure spot far away from reach.” If the driver would like to use their phone while using this strategy, they must put their car in park to do so. 

Another great method to avoid the dangers of using a cell phone while driving is to power the phone down completely. Both of these previously stated methods allow the driver to drive distraction free.

Cell phone usage while driving is a practice that can impact our future in many negative ways. It is up to the people behind the wheel to take initiative to solve this problem and protect numerous drivers from serious injuries on the roads.