1,100 of them resulting in deaths, according to Fran Bents of Dynamics Science, a firm that compiles highway safety statistics (Silva).These studies are controversial because many of them are only estimates because of inaccurate records of traffic accidents involving the use of a cell phone. Many states considering regulations have taken the first step to solving the information problem by setting up guidelines on documenting and tracking accidents involving the use of a cell phone. About 20 states currently have policies in place to collect data that would allow for a more accurate number of accidents caused by cell phone use but many of them are fairly new and may not produce results in time for pending legislations.Rationale for RegulationsAlthough the United States has had dramatic increases in the number of cell phone users in last few years, subscribers in the United States represent only about 39 percent of the population. Unlike Japan and several other countries in which market penetration has reached levels of 65-75 percent, there is still a lot of room for growth of the industry in the United States, meaning that there is an increasing possibility that a driver will be distracted by a cell phone . While there are other distractions that pose the same kinds of dangers as cell phones, other distractions are present for short periods of times, while a conversation on the cell phone in an automobile can last for a very long time and may at times become very emotional. For instance, it takes seconds to change to a different radio station, which is the biggest distraction listed by the NHTSA, but someone can be on the phone the whole time they are stuck in traffic with only one hand on the wheel. In a Washington Post survey, 87 percent of those surveyed claimed they were somewhat to extremely concerned about drivers holding cellular phones in moving automobiles but the majority of them also stated that they continue to do it b...
