10-21-17 Cell Phones May Cause More US Deaths Than Guns

Daily Jot: Cell phones may cause more US deaths than guns - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com

 

Bloomberg reports that distracted drivers are responsible for 57.6% of traffic fatalities, some 18,538 in 2015. Bloomberg is saying that while the share of Americans owning cell phones increased from 75% to 81% from 2014-16, federal statistics reporting the incidents of cell phones usage in fatalities caused by distracted drivers are far underreported. For example, only 448 traffic fatalities were traced back to cell phone usage, and Bloomberg cites examples of people whose loved ones were killed by drivers that admitted to using their cell phones, but are not among the statistics. Problem is that states are using differing statistics and standards to report accidents involving distracted drivers.

 

Bloomberg recalls the findings of Zendrive Inc., a San Francisco startup that analyzes smartphone data to help insurers of commercial fleets assess safety risks, "In a study of 3 million people, it found drivers using their mobile phone during 88 percent of trips. The true number is probably even higher because Zendrive didn't capture instances when phones were mounted in a fixed position-so-called hands free technology, which is also considered dangerous... "It's definitely frightening," said Jonathan Matus, Zendrive's co-founder and chief executive officer. "Pretty much everybody is using their phone while driving."" One interviewee said, "We know what's going on, but we don't have a breathalyzer for a phone."

 

Gunviolencearchive.org reports 13,502 deaths in 2015 from the use of guns, of which 1,370 occurred in self-defense. In 2016, the organization reports 15,080 gun-related deaths, of which 1,975 were in self-defense; so far this year, there have been 12,262 gun related deaths with 1,601 in self-defense. On the heat map of the US where gun-related deaths occurred, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Baltimore-areas of the most stringent gun control laws-indicate the most gun-related deaths. Incidentally, The Washington Post reports that law enforcement officers used lethal force 995 times in 2015, 733 were attacks in progress, 94 were unarmed, 497 deaths were white, and 431 were black (259) or Hispanic (172).

 

My cell phone has been sitting here beside me on my desk the whole time I've been writing this Daily Jot. My grandpa's handgun has been resting in its holster on a shelf in my office. It hasn't moved in years. Neither my cell phone, nor this antique gun has threatened, injured or killed any of our family or visitors to our home or anyone else while I've had them. Statistically, it's possible that cell phones have been used in more deaths per year than guns. Yet, there is no move to ban cell phones. Galatians 6:5 says, "For every man shall bear his own burden." Verse 7 continues, "for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap." Unlike inanimate objects, each person has responsibility for their own behavior, even those who want to ban the object that is used irresponsibly rather than hold accountability.