by Amber Blair
Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage for teenagers, but first they must learn the rules of the road including the consequences of driving while using their favorite gadget: their cell phone.
According to DMV.com a driver under age 18 with a learner’s permit or driver’s license is prohibited from using any cellular telephone or any other wireless telecommunications device, regardless of whether such device is or is not handheld.
Most teenagers do not know the laws regarding the use of electronic devices while driving, so they are unaware of serious consequences.
Senior Shelby Green, who has been driving for two years, said she does not know the laws.
“I use my cell phone all the time when I’m driving,” Shelby said.
In some states a person caught texting and driving can face fines up to $500 depending on the state and the criminal charges. If bodily injury occurs to another driver due to electronic use, prison or jail time may be a consequence.
Other consequences of electronic use while driving include points on a driving record, suspension of licenses, mandatory road safety classes and even car impoundment.
Drivers in Virginia cannot be pulled over for using a cell phone or other electronic device; however, if they are pulled for another offense and found to have been using a phone, they face consequences on the first offense and fines.
Texting is against the law for all drivers, but adults are allowed to talk or use electronics that are not hand held.
“Teenagers are just learning to drive. They are not experienced by themselves opposed to adults although everyone loses focus,” School Resource Officer Stanley Shapiro said.
Although the laws are stricter for teenagers using cell phones while driving, an accident involving an adult got the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to start a movement to end distracted driving in all 50 states.
The NTSB investigated a crash in Gray Summit, Missouri, that involved a pickup driver who had been texting when he plowed into the back of a tractor-trailer. The crash started a series of other crashes that killed two people.
The NTSB is trying to get all 50 states and the District of Columbia to ban all portable electronic devices except for things like GPS that support the driving task.
Many people believe that cell phone use is not an issue for them because that they can multitask; however, the National Safety Council (NSC) said that multitasking is a myth.
The brain can only handle one task at a time, so it switches from one task to another. Successfully completing two cognitive tasks at once is virtually impossible.
Additionally, according to NSC, “The brain not only juggles tasks, it also juggles focus and attention.”
For this reason, the NSC said that using electronics, specifically cell phones, while driving causes inattentive blindness, slower response and reaction time and troubles staying in one lane.
“Driving while talking on cell phones – handheld and hands-free – increases risk of injury and property damage in crashes fourfold,” NSC said.
When drivers are behind the wheel, their electronics belong in the back seat.
If, however, they are ever involved in an accident due to cell phone use, School Resource Officer Don Profit said to tell the truth because the consequences can be more severe when the truth is discovered.
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