Here are the risks and benefits of cell phones

Bob Doyle, Columnist

When stopped at a red light in my car, I often look around to see the other drivers. For the past few years, I’ve noticed an increasing number of drivers using their cell phones both when stopped and in motion.

Now I am beginning to see some drivers texting into their cell phones as they drive. A few weeks ago I noticed a young woman driver behind me on the National Highway (Route 40).

Each time we stopped for a red light, she seemed to be looking intently at her steering wheel, for she was texting into her cell phone. She had the good sense to stop texting when in motion, but would resume texting at the next red light. The advantage of texting is that you can leave a short typed message to your friends or family members at any time, which they can retrieve at their leisure.

Adolescents and young adults text an average of 30 times a day, according to recent surveys. It’s likely that these young folks are sending more texts than the number of conversations they have in that day. When you talk to a person face to face, there is communication both at the verbal level (just the words) and non-verbal level (body posture, facial expression, etc.) which complement each other.

When most people work, they must talk and listen to people, react to what they say, etc. None of this occurs in texting as it is one way communication, face hidden and often in short hand phrases with fewer words than regular face to face conversations.

Also, texting makes it easier to be abusive towards others as the sender is not facing those being texted; the sender can’t see the reaction of those receiving the text as you would in a regular conversation. Recent surveys affirm that many teens have been the object of bullying by texting.

Studies have revealed that talking on a cell phone while driving is equivalent to driving while intoxicated. Then what would be the equivalent of texting while driving?

Would it be someone who is so drunk that they can’t get up from the floor and is crawling on all fours? Why don’t people who want to text, just pull over and text from a stationary car? It makes so much sense as when you try to text and drive, you are putting your own safety and others at risk.

The answers may be: I don’t have the time — I have so many things to do. I’ve got to keep up with my family or friends, they need to know what I’m doing and vice versa. If you cause a wreck using a cell phone, all the above concerns will seem petty to the family of the victims and even your own family.

I am in favor of our local police and state troopers carrying cell phone jamming devices Then if a driver on a cell phone seems oblivious to the other vehicles on the road, the officer’s car can pull along side the cell user-driver and quickly jam the cell phone conversation, without having to pull the car over.

Now readers may think that I am dead set against cell phones. I actually own a cell phone, which I use sparingly.

Here is a beneficial idea for cell phones. Near where I live in LaVale, there are nice sidewalks along both sides of the National Highway (Route 40). This has led to many more people walking, both in groups or with their dogs. More people could be walking if there were walking clubs. Each club would have a certain walking gait and duration common to its members.

There could be a walking club called the “Sizzling Sixties” of people who walk slowly but enjoy talking while walking for about 20 minutes. This club would walk a certain route along which the members reside. So if the weather cleared up and cooled down, one of the “Sizzlers” would notice, get on his/her walking gear and call a few other “Sizzlers” in advance on his phone.

Then as walkers proceed along their route, one of the walkers with a cell phone could call some of the other “Sizzlers” who would come out of their house or duplex and join them. As a “Sizzler” had enough walking, the group would go by their house and that “Sizzler” would drop out and be home.

In this way, the walking club would not only encourage people to walk but help people in a given neighborhood to get to know each other socially. These walking clubs would be informal, no dues and only walk in good weather (can’t make a schedule for that!)

Another good use of cell phones is in book clubs. There is a very good book club at a Frostburg book store where people read a selected new fiction book and discuss it on a given evening time either each week or biweekly.

Setting up a successful standard book club takes a lot of effort. Consider a science discussion club or an American history discussion club or a romance discussion club, etc. using cell phones. Members of each discussion group need only read a book of their own choosing in that category.

If I joined an American history club, I might pick “The Age of Lincoln” and start reading. Then periodically, I would text other members of the club about what I have enjoyed about reading this book. They in turn, would text me about their book, such as “American Founders.” So the texted messages would be our way of sharing our pleasure in reading a variety of related books.

These groups would not have to meet on a certain time or day, but each member might be expected to do one text a week to other members telling them what he/she is experiencing in their reading. Then it’s possible that some of the discussion members might get together and watch a video, documentary either on DVD or on TV, so that you could meet someone of the same interests as yourself.

There could be many cell book discussion groups in this area, some for mostly younger readers, some groups relating to business and economics, some to self help, some to science fiction, some to a particular war, etc. Also you could get your book from the library, if you didn’t have the means. And serious readers who go through a variety of books could belong to several of these groups at one time.

To discuss any of the topics from Bob Doyle’s columns, any respectful group may call him at (301) 687-7799 or email him at rdoyle@frostburg.edu .