Can You Hear Me Now? [final]
The time is three minutes until one o’clock. As I sit at my desk, anxiously waiting for my professor to wrap up her lesson for the day, I notice the girl beside me has been pressing buttons on her cell phone after receiving about five or six text-messages. As the hour draws to a close and the class is dismissed, she fumbles through her belongings and heads for the door. Upon entering the hallway, her phone suddenly begins to light up, vibrate, and almost simultaneously play the theme song of the hit MTV show, “Laguna Beach.” I cannot help but to feel a little embarrassed for the girl, but as I continued walking towards my next class, I was surprised to find that I was completely outnumbered by the quantity of students who seemed to have their phones glued to their ears.It is obvious to see that the tools people use to communicate have drastically changed over the years, but oftentimes; people fail to examine the consequences of new technology. The invention of the cellular telephone is no exception. Cell phones are hazardous because they are a distraction in many situations and oftentimes can lead to disastrous consequences.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, over 200 million Americans use cell phones today compared to 4.3 million in 1990 (“Cell Phones and Driving”). "This relatively new technology is becoming the societal norm for immediate, wireless communication” ("Cell Phones and Driving"). Even teenagers and children can present a valid argument for having the device incase of an emergency. The truth is that cell phones provide a distraction to such age groups, especially in schools. When students lose interest in the criteria being taught, their attention is quickly directed towards their cellular phone. With all of the new additions and gadgets added to these devices, the teachers have a difficult time competing for the attention of the student.
Today, cell phones are no longer just a wireless version of the modern telephone. Companies such as Alltel, Verizon, and AT&T have integrated devices into the cell phone that supposedly make life easier for the consumer. In some models, you can find a digital camera, video camcorder, calendar, calculator, Internet access, interchangeable ring tones, games and a tool that lets you compose simple text messages. These advancements in technology are great for the gadget guru, or businessperson on the go but they certainly don’t belong in a classroom.
Distractions play a tremendous role in the safety of drivers and their passengers in a vehicle. In fact, most distractions are unpredictable and occur both inside and outside of the car. In today’s society, drivers juggle with fast food, shuffle through music, and in some cases, even take care of personal hygiene while operating a moving vehicle. Many of these distracted drivers will argue that they have good control on everything in question and that they are simply multi-tasking. Their statements may hold some justification when one looks at their driving record. However, it becomes a whole new issue when the distraction takes complete control over the drivers thinking process.
Some members of congress have enacted laws banning the use of cell phones while driving in certain states. In 1991, New York was the first state to establish a law prohibiting drivers to use mobile phones (“Cell Phones and Driving”). Although it is nearly impossible to determine the number of accidents caused by cell phone use, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that “motorists who use cell phones while driving are four time as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves, according to a study of drivers in Perth, Australia” (“Cell Phones and Driving”). That statistic alone should be enough to motivate any driver not to communicate on the phone while operating a moving vehicle.
Cellular telephones require the user to devote visual attention to the screen and keypad as the ten digit number is punched, and then for the rest of the duration, requires a devoted amount of concentration to carry on a conversation with the person on the other end of the line (“Cell Phones and Driving”). This is extremely dangerous because it only takes a split second to flip a moving vehicle. If a driver takes his or her eyes off of the road, he or she could instantly be placed in a life or death situation. Cell phones in the hands of drivers also poses a great risk due to the amount of concentration needed to carry on the conversation. Many times, drivers can find themselves so absorbed in a conversation that their attention is quickly diverted away from the most important task at hand, driving.
On a final note, to those who continually walk around college campus’s with their cell phones attached to their ears, I urge you to hang up and begin real a interpersonal conversation with someone right next to you. It amazes me to see a small group of friends eating lunch together, for instance, carry on separate phone conversations with individuals in different regions. Relationships are suffering due to the lack of personal communication in today’s society, and devices such as the cell phone and technology like the Internet, for example, are to blame. Verbal language is only a small percentage of interpersonal communication. To carry on a real face-to-face conversation demands the analysis of body language, personal skills, and adjustments in an individual’s comfort level. As a final word of advice: hang up the phone and introduce yourself to a stranger.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, over 200 million Americans use cell phones today compared to 4.3 million in 1990 (“Cell Phones and Driving”). "This relatively new technology is becoming the societal norm for immediate, wireless communication” ("Cell Phones and Driving"). Even teenagers and children can present a valid argument for having the device incase of an emergency. The truth is that cell phones provide a distraction to such age groups, especially in schools. When students lose interest in the criteria being taught, their attention is quickly directed towards their cellular phone. With all of the new additions and gadgets added to these devices, the teachers have a difficult time competing for the attention of the student.
Today, cell phones are no longer just a wireless version of the modern telephone. Companies such as Alltel, Verizon, and AT&T have integrated devices into the cell phone that supposedly make life easier for the consumer. In some models, you can find a digital camera, video camcorder, calendar, calculator, Internet access, interchangeable ring tones, games and a tool that lets you compose simple text messages. These advancements in technology are great for the gadget guru, or businessperson on the go but they certainly don’t belong in a classroom.
Distractions play a tremendous role in the safety of drivers and their passengers in a vehicle. In fact, most distractions are unpredictable and occur both inside and outside of the car. In today’s society, drivers juggle with fast food, shuffle through music, and in some cases, even take care of personal hygiene while operating a moving vehicle. Many of these distracted drivers will argue that they have good control on everything in question and that they are simply multi-tasking. Their statements may hold some justification when one looks at their driving record. However, it becomes a whole new issue when the distraction takes complete control over the drivers thinking process.
Some members of congress have enacted laws banning the use of cell phones while driving in certain states. In 1991, New York was the first state to establish a law prohibiting drivers to use mobile phones (“Cell Phones and Driving”). Although it is nearly impossible to determine the number of accidents caused by cell phone use, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that “motorists who use cell phones while driving are four time as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves, according to a study of drivers in Perth, Australia” (“Cell Phones and Driving”). That statistic alone should be enough to motivate any driver not to communicate on the phone while operating a moving vehicle.
Cellular telephones require the user to devote visual attention to the screen and keypad as the ten digit number is punched, and then for the rest of the duration, requires a devoted amount of concentration to carry on a conversation with the person on the other end of the line (“Cell Phones and Driving”). This is extremely dangerous because it only takes a split second to flip a moving vehicle. If a driver takes his or her eyes off of the road, he or she could instantly be placed in a life or death situation. Cell phones in the hands of drivers also poses a great risk due to the amount of concentration needed to carry on the conversation. Many times, drivers can find themselves so absorbed in a conversation that their attention is quickly diverted away from the most important task at hand, driving.
On a final note, to those who continually walk around college campus’s with their cell phones attached to their ears, I urge you to hang up and begin real a interpersonal conversation with someone right next to you. It amazes me to see a small group of friends eating lunch together, for instance, carry on separate phone conversations with individuals in different regions. Relationships are suffering due to the lack of personal communication in today’s society, and devices such as the cell phone and technology like the Internet, for example, are to blame. Verbal language is only a small percentage of interpersonal communication. To carry on a real face-to-face conversation demands the analysis of body language, personal skills, and adjustments in an individual’s comfort level. As a final word of advice: hang up the phone and introduce yourself to a stranger.
Source:
"Cell Phones and Driving." Hot Topics & Issues Updates. Jan. 2007.
Insurance Information Institute, Inc. 27 Mar. 2006
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