The Dangers of Using a Cell Phone While Driving We've all heard the debate. Does driving while talking on a cell phone distract the driver? If it is, what should be done about it? Since cell phones have been the culprit in some accidents, many are calling for a ban on cell phone use while driving. Since 1995, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (15), at least 45 states have proposed bills addressing cell phones in automobiles. There was one state that banned the use of cell phones while driving and that is New York. On June 28, 2001, New York Governor George Pataki signed legislation banning New Yorkers from using cell phones while driving (15). There have also been many countries that have banned cell phone use while driving. Statistics show that cell phones have been the cause of some accidents. Every year approximately 2,600 people are killed and 330,000 injured by drivers using cell phones (12). However, of all disasters caused by distraction, cell phones account for 1.5%. The main factor was “things outside the car” (13). Since these statistics were published, many people think that we should not rush to ban cell phone use while driving. These people think that since it only accounts for 1.5% of distractions, there are other things that can be improved. There are still others who think it's a big problem and that's why many studies have been conducted on the effects of cell phone use while driving. In 2001, David L. Strayer of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and his colleagues reported that people who talked on their cell phones or cell phones during simulated driving ran red lights more often and reacted more slowly to traffic signals than until they talked on the phone (14). David L. Strayer performed numerous tests to see how people react while talking and driving. He recently tested college students and found that many caused rear-end collisions and reacted more slowly to vehicles breaking down in front of them (14). There have also been some shocking reports from the British. Direct Line, the main English insurer, commissioned a study from the Transport Research Laboratory. Direct Line hopes the findings will support a total ban on the use of mobile phones while driving.