Operating a motor vehicle can be dangerous, especially with a cell phone in use. Being distracted on the road is no small matter, it can cause serious injury or sometimes even death. In driving school, you are taught to always have your eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel. There is a reason for this, and a good one.

If a driver is distracted for even a second, a wreck could occur. There's so many possibilities of things going wrong. Drifting, swerving, running red lights, blowing through stop signs, being unaware of speeding and not following the path of the road can all happen within the blink of an eye. A driver needs as little distraction as possible, and having a cell phone in hand does not help. Once the driver's eyes leave the road to read one text message, to see who is calling, to dial a number or even to check a missed call, they have increased their chances of wrecking.

Hands free devices such as blue tooth are often used as a “safer” way to use a phone without taking your eyes off the road. However, your mind is still not in the right place. Your eyes are on the road, but what are you really concentrating on? The person speaking into your ear. Your eyes stop scanning, you begin to have tunnel vision. You are totally unaware of your surroundings. Your vision lessens and your hearing senses take over. This is hazardous to other drivers. You are concentrating only on the person telling you some stupid story instead of signaling while switching lanes, causing another car to veer off the road, or maybe cause a collision.

It is for these reasons that cell phone use of any kind while driving, for all drivers, no matter what the age, color, size, or gender, should be illegal. Putting your life and the lives of others at stake for one simple phone call or for a three letter long text is unnecessary. If you feel that it is so important to answer your phone before your reach your destination, you could safely pull off the side of the road, put the car in park, and use your phone until the battery dies if that's what your heart desires. But, as long as you're on the road, the risk is too great to pick up the phone unless it's an emergency. Cell phone use while driving should be outlawed in all cities, counties and states.