Long ago, when one was on the telephone and something else happened, one might say, "Hold the phone a minute; there's somebody at the door." Today, there is no need for that. The phone is portable, so the speaker can take it with him, multitasking while talking. Not only is the phone now portable, but it can be used to send text messages, check the weather, forward an email, provide directions, or play a movie, all while blaring music loud enough to damage the walls.
But therein lies a problem: Too many of us are talking, texting, or using a GPS while we are cruising down the highway. Cell phone usage is on its way to becoming a cause of more auto accidents than drug usage or drunk driving. An astounding 28 percent of fatal auto accidents are now attributed to texting or cell phone use.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are around 6.8 million auto accidents annually. Now, that may include minor accidents involving door dings obtained in a parking lot, but that number represents over 2 percent of the total U.S. population, ranging in age from infants to seniors.
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