"a Problem of the Brain, Not the Hands: Group Urges Phone Ban for Drivers" Case

The New York Times article, "A Problem of the Brain, Not the Hands: Group Urges Phone Ban for Drivers," by Tara Parker Pope suggests that driving while talking on a cell phone is comparable to drunk driving and I agree completely. In my opinion, driving while talking on a cellphone is considered distracted driving and is quite analogous to drunk driving. Also, handheld cell phone vs. hands free does not matter in my opinion, both are deemed as distracted driving. Your focus should be on the road, and nothing but the road. It is a proven fact that multitasking can reduce production and focus dramatically and talking while operating a vehicle is in fact multitasking.

As explained in this article, "No matter what the device, phone conversations appear to take a significant toll on attention and visual processing skills," is a true statement because driving on the road for a prolonged period of time can get slightly repetitive and anything can become more exciting, especially a mere phone conversation. Our brains become so caught up in the conversation that we start losing focus on our surroundings. According to this article, "Eye-tracking studies show that while drivers continually look side to side, cellphone users tend to stare straight ahead," this concerns me because cellphone users don't watch for their surroundings which is equivalent to drunk drivers whose surroundings are blurred and unseen.

Driving while talking is, in fact, equal to drunk driving. "... their engaged brains will not processes much of the information falling on their retinas leading to a slower reaction time," explains Tara Parker-Pope on driving while talking. This is quite the similar thing that occurs to drunk people. When someone is intoxicated, their reaction time is slowed. According to the New Jersey Driver Manual, telltale signs of a drunk driver include: "speeding, weaving, slow driving, jerking motion and quick stops," each of these signs can also be apparent with a driver talking on a cellphone, for example, if the driver is engaged in a conversation that creates anger, chances are that they will speed up because when we are angered we tense up and most likely the driver will lean down on the gas pedal more without even taking notice.