How to Use Mobiles While Driving: Is it Dangerous?

Evidence continues to mount proclaiming cell phones and driving just don't mix. Recent studies revealed that distraction from cell-phone usage impairs users just as much as having a .08 blood alcohol level. Driving with a cell phone makes you four times more likely to be involved in an injury-causing crash and many other scary statistics. Texting is even worse. Between 2001 and 2007, approximately 16,000 deaths were directly related to a driver texting. Despite legislation in many states now forbidding texting and/or talking on cell phones while driving, the number of "distracted" drivers continues to rise. Using a mobile phone while driving isn't safe, but, if you must, take precautions. You're putting lives, besides your own, in danger.

Instructions

• 1

  Wait until you get to your destination to use your phone. The safest way to use your phone while driving is not at all. Finalize all your plans before leaving, so you know where you're going and who you're meeting. This cuts down on the urge to hammer out last-minute details from behind the wheel. Explain to your friends you never answer your phone while driving, and you will definitely never answer a text, and ask them to respect that. Arriving safely at your destination means a lot more to you than a conversation.

• 2

  Pull over or ask a passenger to answer the call for you. Pulling over allows you to devote your full attention to the call without impairing your driving concentration. If you have a passenger, ask him to take a message or act as the mediator between you and the caller.

  This especially applies to texting. If, for some reason, you must send one, don't do it while driving. Again, if you have a passenger, just tell him what to say and let him send it. That way you keep moving without endangering yourself or others. Besides, the recipient won't know who typed it.

• 3

  Invest in a hands-free set. If you are someone who needs to be able to talk in the car, a hands-free set offers the safest way to do so. In fact, many states and cities have passed legislation making it illegal to drive and use your phone without one. Many options exist, ranging in both price and quality. Some car companies have even begun taking note of the cell-phone danger. Ford SYNC, now standard in several Ford models, offers an interface between Bluetooth-enabled phones or hand-held devices and the car, giving drivers a completely hands-free experience. If you don't want to buy a car, to be safe, companies, such as ISOGEAR offer cheap, easy-to-use alternatives such as the Solar Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit.