We all know that cellphones have been part of our lives. We are always with cellphones. We are with them when we exercise, eat, or even sleep. We, as a passenger walking down the street, are with mobile phones. A lot of people might have the experience of not noticing the change of the traffic light so they were in a hurry. We, sometimes, as a driver are with mobile phones. Those are the situations in which a big problem is caused. There have been various studies dealing with the relationship between everyday life and cellphones. In this paper, I would focus on the exact situation when drivers are with mobile phones. Not only on the danger it causes because we all know that it is hazardous, but also on the negative outcomes in terms of the economy.
As mentioned above, we all know that the use of cellphones by drivers causes huge problems, especially in safety. Nevertheless, a consistent number of car accidents are caused due to mobile phones. According to a study done by the American insurance company State Farm Insurance, it was found that 19% of the drivers studied used Internet services during the trip. Besides this study, there have been a lot of other studies of drivers dealing with mobile phones. The fact that there is a continuing number of studies also implies that the danger caused by mobile phones is not temporary, it is continuous. So, isn’t there any other alternative to mobile phones in a car? Then, there comes the idea of hands-free devices. Hands-free devices are made for drivers to enjoy the same services as their mobile phones. What’s more, they are not considered to be illegal. Therefore, we can see actors making their calls using hands-free devices in the scene of TV shows or movies. However, the use of hands-free devices does not necessarily mean that it reduces the probability of car accidents. According to a study done by Carnegie Mellon University, a driver’s attention is reduced by about 37% by just listening to someone talking on a phone. That means that hands-free devices also distract drivers, which gives an ironic view to the fact that there are not sufficient laws that regulate drivers with hands-free devices or firms that produce cars that provide hand-free services. What drivers do with their phones might be various, but we can sort them into calls, texting, Internet surfing, and so on. Whatever the criteria might be, the idea that all cause a negative impact is the same.
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Instead of only pointing out the danger of mobile phones, we have to focus on the actual losses of the problem. From a public economic point of view, the use of cellphones in driving causes social costs. It is well known that mobile phones cause costs to drivers. Accidents caused by distractions due to smartphones cause costs for drivers or their insurance fees can be increased. Moreover, it can be also shown as negative externalities, which means market failure. According to a study done by NHTSA (National Authority Traffic Safety Administration), using phones while driving can reduce drivers’ well-being. This institution says that cellphones reduce efficiency. Mobile phones make government engage in the situation. For example, they have to affairs associated with those accidents, giving drivers tickets and other things, and that all cause costs to the government. This shows that driving with a cellphone is wasting because of the negative externalities caused by distraction.
Therefore, when the states make a law that prohibits the use of cellphones while driving, the negative externalities can be reduced thanks to those laws. If a driver got a ticket for using a cellphone, that ticket revenue can be used for local or state needs, which increases the overall welfare of the city, like the concept of the Pigouvian tax. For example, if there are drivers who got tickets for their use of mobile phones while driving, they have to pay the fee. That paid fee goes to government budgets and can be used to make new roads or other things that increase the utility of citizens. However, if there was no law against using phones while driving, the government should other areas to get that amount of budget or the overall utility might be decreased. Therefore, banning using mobile phones is necessary because needless to say they are safe and economically efficient.
To sum up, we all know that using mobile phones while driving is harmful. However, drivers keep using their phones, which causes a continuous number of car accidents. It is not useful to use cellphones in terms of economics because that causes negative externalities, which is market failure. If there are enough laws that ban the use of mobile phones, then the overall utility would rise. Nevertheless, there are not enough regulations to precisely ban the use. Even hands-free devices, which are known to cause distractions to drivers, are allowed to be used. Doing campaigns to encourage drivers not to use their phones is also great. However, more precise and practical regulations should be made to make social costs minimized. ‘Precise’ in this context means that we have to regulate those that are not considered to be illegal, like hands-free devices. ‘Practical’ in this context means, as firms are producing cars that provide Bluetooth or hands-free services, drivers can use it. However, if there is a law that regulates the car with such services come out, the percentage of drivers using hands-free devices would decrease. Therefore, more studies should be focused on the type of cellphones (whether they are actual phones or hands-free). Also, the ban needs to be stricter than now so that overall well-being could be maximized. The stricter it would be, the more budget we could get from those drivers, and our overall increase would increase, though the best solution is for there to be no one using their phones and for accidents related to phones to decrease in terms of numbers.
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