In 1973, the first call was placed by Martin Cooper, the founding father of the cellular telephone, on what is known as the first mobile cellular device. Since then, the argument of cell phone use while driving has bloomed into a debate arguing life or death.
Throughout the country, laws banning any cell phone use behind the wheel have been passed in an effort to save lives. Michigan is no exception.
On July 1, 2010, a law banning texting while behind the wheel was passed for all drivers in Michigan.
Local law enforcement departments are remaining vigil in their efforts to track down drivers who text and drive. In a study done by the Auto Club of California, 4.3 percent of women are texting while driving at any given time; 2.1 percent of men do likewise. This can make tracking down those who text and drive a bit more difficult.
While the fine in California is a small $20, the Auto Club found states with harsher consequences tended to decrease the number of people who text and drove.
In Michigan, the first penalty is a $100 fine and the second is $200, though no points are added to the license if someone is caught in the act.
Dreon said, “I used to text and drive, until I was driving with a friend who was texting and I had to yell at him to stop because the car in front of us had stopped. We almost crashed. It’s the stupidest thing you could do while driving next to drinking and driving.”
“I don’t do it because a kid was hit and killed by a texting driver my senior year,” Bay said.
According to AT&T, the average teen sends five times more texts than his or her adult counterparts; 76 percent of teens aged 16-17 text, and 34 percent of them have admitted to doing so while driving.
The company estimates about 840,000 crashes have occurred this year as a result of texting and driving.
In response to these statistics, AT&T has released an application which sends an automated response out from a driver’s phone, preventing a driver from having to text a reply while in motion.
“It’s similar to an out-of-office email alert,” said Jermaine Spight, the senior public relations manager at AT&T .
Ben Bower, a junior this year at EMU, said, “As for technology that makes calling or dealing with your phone on the road, I’m all for it.
“To be blunt, I believe texting and driving to be an almost impossible task, at least for me. Not only is it dangerous to my life and others but I find it extremely difficult to concentrate on two different things at once.”
When asked about the statistics that AT&T had to present, Bower said he wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers were higher than reported.
“The numbers add up,” Spight said. “The use of text messaging, particularly with teens, isn’t slowing down and is contributing to serious problems on the road. Teens — and drivers of all ages — need to learn that texting can wait.”
