Car Phones and Safety

The use of car phones and cellular phones has grown at a phenomenal rate over the past several years. Mobile phones permit their users to conduct business while traveling, allow families to check in with each other, and provide a measure of heretofore unheard-of safety—since help is literally a phone call away when needed, no matter where you are. But despite the positive aspects of both car phones and cellular phones used in cars, they have also created a new safety hazard.

Using a phone or a CB radio while driving is a distraction, just as changing tapes or CDs, or adjusting the radio, or lighting up a cigarette, distracts you from driving. Anything that takes your attention away from the full time task of driving can be hazardous to your health. The more tasks a driver tries to perform simultaneously, the more likely it is that one of the tasks will suffer. New drivers and the elderly are most likely to be affected by the distraction, but no one is immune.

When you dial a car phone, you must take your eyes off the road, and at least one hand off the wheel, for several seconds to punch in the numbers, yet some people perform this function while they are driving, even when they are traveling at 50 mph in heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic. Under the same conditions—driving in fast or heavy traffic—would you feel safe if you closed your eyes and took at least one hand off the wheel for several seconds? Safe driving always requires that you keep your eye on the road, and often requires the accurate use of both your hands on the steering wheel.

• Use a car phone only while parked safely.
• If you plan to use a car phone while driving, install a "hands free" phone. This normally means you won’t be able to use your cellular phone.
• Use the phone’s built-in memory to dial frequently-called numbers.
• Don’t engage in emotional, stressful or frustrating calls while driving.
• If you use a portable phone, secure it with a seat belt in the passenger seat so it doesn’t become a missile during quick stops or evasive maneuvers.
• When driving conditions deteriorate, stop talking on the phone, so that you can give your full attention to the task of driving safely.