Mobile phones are a public hazard
Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am pleased
to be here in person, and not on the end of a digital phone link. I believe
that mobile phones are a hazard to the public, and I have three very good
reasons to support my view.
First,
and most important, is the danger of mobile phones to road users. How many
times have you seen a driver speeding along with only one eye on the road, one
hand on the wheel and all his attention on the phone? Police forces across the
country have recorded a 50% increase in accidents in which drivers were using
mobile phones. All of us are at risk from these mobile madmen. We must act
together to keep our roads safe and ban the use of mobile phones in cars. Just
as important as “Don’t drink and drive” should be “Don’t talk and travel”.
The second danger
associated with mobile phones is related to our health. A worrying number of
medical reports have linked the use of mobile phones with tumours on the brain.
Professor John Smith from Oxford
University
The third reason for
my opposition to mobile phones concerns crime. Our streets are already so
dangerous that people are afraid to go out after dark. Mobile phones simply add
to the problem. Carrying an expensive mobile phone makes you a walking target
for the mugger who is looking for something valuable and easy to steal. It’s
like leaving a key in the ignition of an unlocked Porsche. It is ironic that
many parents have provided their children with mobile phones for safety, little
realising that by doing so they have increased by 40% their children’s chances
of being mugged. If you are one of these parents, I hope that you don’t find
out the hard way what an expensive mistake you have made.
Mobile phones appear
to be fashionable, high-tech and desirable, but when you next see an
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