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Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2009

Teens debate merits of banning cell phone use in cars

Driving while talking on a cell phone quadruples the risk of getting into an accident, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

People talking on a cell phone are more inclined to be slower at hitting the brakes and suffer from “inattention blindness” or not actually seeing the road due to distraction, a study from the University of Utah shows.

The state legislature recently considered a bill that would ban cell phones while driving for drivers under the age of 18.

This bill passed in the House, but it died in the Senate.

The same type of bill already has become law in Maine, California, Connecticut, Colorado and North Carolina, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Eight states have banned text messaging for all drivers, according to the group.

If such a law were passed in Georgia, it would mean teenagers would not be allowed to text or talk on their cell phones while driving.

Several Middle Georgia teens said they agreed with the proposed law.

“Talking on the phone for the most part is not a smart thing to do — only if it is an emergency should it be OK — but still, if the call is preventable, let it be,” said Asra Rehan, a junior at Stratford Academy.

Will Greene, a junior at Central High School, felt similarly.

“You can’t focus on driving when you’re on a cell phone, so this (would) cut down on distracted driving. However, I do think that the law should be expanded to cover anything that would be distracting and not just cell phones,” he said. Forty-eight percent of teenagers drive while talking on a cell phone, and 53 percent of teens drive while doing other distracting things, such as listening to the radio or text messaging, according to the National Young Driver Survey.

“I only text when I am on my way home or at stop signs. I know it’s dangerous, but there are not very many cars, so I guess I don’t have to concentrate as much. I don’t think we should be allowed to though because it is way more dangerous then just talking on the phone,” said Margie Dickey, a senior at Stratford Academy.

Shreeya Khurana is a junior at Stratford Academy. Katy Newcomer, a junior at Central High School, and Lisa Suh, a senior at Stratford, contributed to this story.