These are common sense areas that one should not use a cell phone in. One question that you should ask yourself is, Would I want to hear a cell phone ring in this sitting?
- Place 1: On an Airplane
- Place 2: At the Gas Station
- Place 3: In a Hospital
- Place 4: At the Wheel of Your Car
- Place 5: In the Cinema / Theatre / Quiet Coach of a Train
Cell phones have already changed the way that we live, allowing us to talk to each other whenever we want, wherever we want. Sometimes, though, it’s best to turn your cell phone off. Using your cell phone in the wrong place can put both yourself and others at risk.
Place One: On an Airplane
The worry that cell phones might crash airplanes is still somewhat speculative. Airlines ask passengers to turn their cell phones off because of concerns that they might interfere with airplane controls. There have been some suggestions that the Crossair plane crash, in which all ten passengers were killed, was caused in this way, but little hard evidence. All the same, given the possible risks the airlines’ precautions seem wise. For the sake of your fellow passengers, and for your own peace of mind, turn your cell phone off during flights.
Place Two: At the Gas Station
Most of the reports of people causing explosions by using their cell phones at gas stations are urban legends. Stories about such events do circulate, and have even occasionally appeared in newspapers, but they have proven difficult to confirm. Nevertheless, it is possible for the high-powered batteries used in a cell phone to create an ignition capable spark, and if this were to occur at a gas station then the results could be catastrophic. It’s not likely, but it is possible, and so gas stations now ask customers to turn their cell phones off while on the premises.
Place Three: In a Hospital
Whether cell phones are dangerous on airplanes or at gas stations is still an open question; whether they are dangerous in hospitals is not. Tests have shown that cell phones can interfere with medical equipment including electrocardiographs and mechanical ventilators. The greatest risks occur when cell phones are in close proximity to equipment; one study reported clinically important interference in 7.4% of cases. Research is ongoing, but leaving your cell phone on while in a hospital is definitely to be avoided.
Place Four: At the Wheel of Your Car
It has long been recognised that using your cell phone while driving your car is dangerous. Governments are starting to take action; using your phone at the wheel is now a criminal offense in the UK and in some places in North America. Drivers using their phones are slower to react and so more likely to be involved in accidents. Even those using hands free kits in their cars are liable to get engrossed in their calls and distracted from what is happening around them. Don’t use your phone at the wheel of your car.
Place Five: In the Cinema / Theatre / Quiet Coach of a Train
For all the good things about cell phones, they do have a down-side: everyone else gets to hear your conversations. This isn’t just a down-side for you; most people don’t want to hear your calls, and some get annoyed by being forced to. Cell phone rage is becoming increasingly common. Hospital workers have reported black eyes and bruised ribs from confrontations over cell phone noise. In some places—cinemas, theatres, and quiet coaches of trains—irritation is understandable, even if violence is a step too far. If you’d rather not become a victim of cell phone rage, you should consider trying to keep your voice down in most places, and should definitely turn your phone off in others.
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