South College Road provides a route for many UNC Wilmington students to get on campus. Longing for a distraction from the drone of college courses, many student drivers turn to their cell phones to text, make phone calls, or even update their Facebook or Twitter pages. Many students drive along without even a thought of a car accident. However, research has shown that cell phones serve as a dangerous distraction to drivers that could easily result in an automobile accident. South College Road is especially susceptible to accidents of this nature because of the large number of cars it sees every day.

South College Road has one of the highest crash rates in the area, totaling 137 for the 2007. South College Road also has the third highest volume of traffic in the Wilmington area, trailing only behind two sections of highway.

Sophomore Ashley Berting from UNCW commented on how congested the roads surrounding campus get throughout the day, and the immense traffic that accumulates when students are commuting to campus.

“I think the roads right outside and surrounding the UNCW area are definitely more prone to having accidents because that’s where all the traffic is. I pass accidents all the time while driving down South College in the mornings and afternoons on the way to class,” Berting stated.

Many drivers can admit to using their cell phones on multiple occasions while driving on a high-traffic road. A junior student at UNCW, Jesse Pushee, is one of these individuals.

“I drive a stick-shift car, and I have mastered talking on my cell phone and changing gears. It’s terrible I know, but I have somehow managed to learn how to drive with my knee,” Pushee said.

UNCW Sophomore Mary Colleen Hanley says, “Using my phone is just second nature to me. I’ve never been the victim or cause of a car accident because of cell phone use, so I don’t really think of it as being dangerous.”

Although there are other students like Hanley who have not been directly effected by distracted driving accidents, it is safe to assume that they are in the minority.

UNCW junior Brett Neve was in the car with his friend who was driving and talking on a cell phone at the same time. Distracted by his cell phone, his friend didn’t see that the cars in front of them were stopped at a red light. His friend rear ended the car in front of him.

“He wasn’t actually on the phone that long,” said Neve “It’s really eye opening that something as small as a cell phone or iPod could cause such a distraction. If you think about it, everyone has a cell phone or iPod. So if every other person on the road is distracted, it’s dangerous.”

Director of Environmental Services, Stan Harts said that during peak hours of traffic, automobile accidents occur frequently.

Based on previous studies, Harts revealed that the utilization of cell phones is an issue for automobile drivers, as well as pedestrians.According to the Department of Transportation in North Carolina it is considered unlawful to operate a vehicle on a public street, highway, or public vehicular area while using a mobile telephone to manually enter letters in a text. It has recently been made unlawful to read emails or text messages while operating a mobile vehicle. This was enforced by the new G.S 20-137.4A (NCDOT).As there is not enough substantial evidence that a direct correlation exists between the utilization of cell phones and automobile accidents; numerous amounts of research aims to prove that cell phones are progressively transforming as an influential factor in the distraction of automobile drivers.

According to Harts, a main issue of traffic on campus is related to communication between drivers, as well as between pedestrians and drivers. “When people are texting, you lose that communication,” he said.

“Studies have found that a 20 year old behind the wheel while talking on the cell phone has the reaction time of a 70 year old,” said UNCW campus police officer Sergeant W.L. Haste.

Haste said that that drivers talking on their cell phones are 18 percent slower to react to brake light and take longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked. People who talk on their cell phones while driving are less adept than a drunk driver with a blood alcohol level that exceeds 0.08.

A new law concerning cell phones came in to effect for the state of North Carolina as of December 1, 2009. The law prohibits drivers from texting while driving. Any driver caught texting while driving will face a $100 fine plus court fees.

“I think that the implementation of this new law is a great idea because everything that can be done to make the roads safer is a plus. When I am driving now I normally wait to get to stop light or a stop sign before changing songs or calling someone.  I also try to be aware of other drivers, and try to anticipate what they are going to do, because you just never know. Even if you aren’t distracted you have to account for the fact that other drivers on the road probably are,” said Neve.