Cell Phones: Using Your Cell Phone While Driving

Talking on a cell phone while driving is now safer with the use of a hands-free device.

There are many things that can distract a driver. It is almost commonplace to see drivers eating, drinking, putting on makeup, reading, and talking on their cell phones. With the recent surge in cell phone use, talking on a cell phone while driving has become a very hot safety topic. The safety problem with driving while talking on a cell phone comes from the fact that when most people talk on their cell phone, they tend to use most of their concentration to focus on their phone and their conversation, instead of concentrating on the road and traffic. This has been well-documented as the cause of thousands of vehicle accidents, many of which have been fatal. Many places have passed laws that require drivers to use a hands-free device if they wish to use their cell phone while driving.

The safest way to talk on the phone while driving is to purchase and use a hands-free device. These hands-free devices come in many different forms and different price ranges. Hands-free devices are specially-configured headsets that can plug into the specific model of cell phone they are designed for. Some common hands-free devices are half-head sets, with only one ear covered by a speaker and a microphone on a swivel boom, while another common type is an earpiece speaker with a microphone tied directly into the earpiece's cord. Hands-free devices allow a driver to have their conversation without having to hold the phone's handset up to their ear. This has the effect of taking the driver's focus off of the cell phone and putting it back on the road where it belongs. With the assistance of a hands-free device, there is now no difference between talking on the phone and talking to a passenger in the same vehicle.

Some cell phone manufacturers now include the earpiece-style hands-free device with many different cell phone models. All cell phone manufacturers should follow their example and take the proactive safety step to start including a hands-free device with every new cell phone purchase. A customer that has to pay extra for a cell phone hands-free device makes as much sense as a customer having to pay extra to have seat belts installed in their new car. Customers should not have to pay to use products and services safely. As a plus for the cell phone manufacturers, this safety-minded act would give them a reputation for caring about their customers' well-being. In the meantime, hands-free devices are available for purchase at every cell phone retail store. The retail cell phone stores normally carry brand-specific items, while more universal hands-free devices can be purchased at a local department store. To save a little money, cell phone accessories, including hands-free devices, can also be found on any of the myriad of websites specializing in selling electronic gadgets at reduced or wholesale prices.

Technology has now made it safe to use cell phones while driving. Everyone must remember that the safest way to use a cell phone while behind the wheel is through a hands-free device.

© Demand Media 2011