Cars and Cell Phones

I don't know about anyone else, but I've gotten a little tired of hearing about what infernally terrible drivers we all are while on our cell phones. Now, it may be that scientists have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that we become less attentive drivers while talking on cell phones. They may have also proven that hands-free talking is no less dangerous, and that texting is also a driving impairment.

But come on, lighten up. I drive home from work, and my commute is about 13 miles (each way) of medium to heavy traffic, and over half of the people on the road with me are on their cell phones. And yet, I have witnessed one accident (motorcyclist fell over) on my specific commute route in several months.

I humbly submit that the entities advocating cell phone bans in cars are oversimplifying the situation to a point where the math breaks down and their findings do not correlate with fundamentals of statistics. I spent ten seconds and created this chart to illustrate the view being portrayed about cell phones: the second you start using your cell phone you become a dangerous driver.

But statistics tells us that almost every situation on earth does not follow simple step functions that are easy to plot. Most situations follow the legendary "bell curve." So I humbly submit my own theory of car safety:
Most drivers are safe. When they turn on their cell phones, a certain percentage become unsafe, but the majority remain safe.

Cell phone ban advocates will not tell you the total number of people on cell phones, instead they just tell you the number of accidents caused by people on cell phones. This is a misleading number. This is similar to the idea that tornadoes only strike trailer homes, and then pointing to the carnage at a trailer park after a tornado hits (while ignoring damage to nearby "built" homes). Nor do they suggest that there is a car accident every 3 seconds in this country that had nothing to do with cell phone use.


I am not trying to suggest that cell phones do not impair drivers. I am simply trying to suggest that although cell phones may lower driving ability, it is very possible, if not likely, that most drivers have enough driving skill that even at an impaired level, they are still safe on the road.


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