Cell Phones in the Hands of Drivers a Risk or Benefit

Cell Phones in the Hands of Drivers A Risk or a Benefit Ariana Laguna English 102 Professor Barnes/Walter 10 December 2012 Outline THESIS: Unless the risks of cell phones are shown to outweigh the benefits, we should not restrict their use in moving vehicles: instead, we should educate the public about the dangers of driving while phoning and prosecute irresponsible phone users under laws on negligent and reckless driving. I. Scientific studies havent proved a link between use of cell phones and traffic accidents. A. A study by Redelmeier and Tibshirani was not conclusive, as the researchers themselves have admitted. B. Most states do not keep records on accidents caused by driver distractions. C. In a survey of†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately, most states do not keep adequate records on the number of times phones are a factor in accidents. As of December 2000, only ten states were trying to keep such records (Sundeen 2). In addition, currently there is little scientific evidence comparing the use of cell phones with other driver distractions: fiddling with the radio, smoking, eating, putting on makeup, shaving, and so on. Alasdair Cain and Mark Burries of the Center Urban Transportation Research surgery research on the cell phone issue as of 1999 and concluded that there is no nationally-accredited document to prove the connection between mobile phone use and traffic accidents. Becaus e research results have been so inconclusive, it makes sense to wait before passing laws that might well be unnecessary. Weighting risks and benefits In 2000, researchers at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis found that the risk of driving while phoning were small compared with other driving risks. Whereas the cell phone users chance of dying are about 6 in a million per year, someone not wearing a seat belt has a risk of 49.3 per million, and someone driving a small car has a risk of 14.5 per million (3). 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