Those Against Cell Phones: Cellular Devices Can Prove Fatal

“Cell Phone Use Leads to ‘Inattention Blindness’ and Can Prove Fatal”, an article written by William Saletan, describes the risk factors and mental functions of a human who is texting and driving. According to Saletan, when people talk or text on their phones while driving, they become blinded to what is going on around them, a problem known as “cognitive capture” or “inattention blindness”. Saletan argues that the use of a cell phone while driving is multitasking, a skill required for many jobs, but multitasking behind the wheel can have lethal consequences. In September of 2008, 25 people died and 130 more were injured in a train and car crash near Los Angeles. The apparent cause was a cell phone. Accidents like this are the reason Saletan is so against the use of cellular devices while driving. He admits though, that cell phones are useful. People can connect to others across the country and escape their own environment. But, people who are driving need to be in their physical environment, in control and focused. In California, Michigan, and Texas, police reports prove that the annual cell phone related road accidents exceed 1,000 per state and over one million tickets have been issued for holding phones at the wheel in New York alone. But, despite all the warnings and punishments, the use of a cell phone while driving still persists. Saletan explains that people are “so enslaved to mobile devices that [they] rely on them even to translate the physical world”. And, a hands-free device is not going to fix anything, according to Saletan. In fact, even with a hands-free device, talking on one’s phone can impair their driving more than intoxication. Saletan’s solution for the problem is simply waiting until off the road for the use of a cell phone. In source B, Saletan discusses the risks associated with the use of a cell phone while driving and discourages any operation of a cell phone while in a car.

Source: 

Saletan, William. "Cell Phone Use Leads to 'Inattention Blindness' and Can Prove Fatal." The Washington Post 23 Oct. 2008: n. pag. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Jan.2011.<http://find.galegroup.com/gps/retrieve.do?contentSet=GSRC&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale(en,,):FQE%3D(ke,None,10)cell+phone$&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=Relevance&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T001&prodId=IPS&searchId=R1¤tPosition=11&userGroupName=farm12971&docId=EJ3010743205&docType=GSRC>.