In fact, investigators can't prove that a mobile phone caused a driver to be distracted enough to cause an accident. (Nor can they prove that a driver distracted by daydreaming, listening to the radio or talking to another person inside the car caused an accident.) They can, however, prove that a driver was or was not talking on the phone at the time of a crash. And when they do, they assert cause, not coincidence, in almost every case.
Statistics prove that the number of crashes involving a mobile phone talker has risen dramatically in the past 10 years. And why wouldn't it? Nobody used to use mobile phones, and now everybody does.
Have all these accidents blamed on mobile phones been added to previous causes for accidents, creating an ever-higher total number of accidents?
On the contrary, the rate of accidents, injuries and deaths from car accidents have all declined, this during a time of radical rise in mobile phone use.
So why are mobile phones singled out as the cause of car accidents, when an increase in the number of people using mobile phones while driving has not increased the total number of accidents?
Shocking conclusion
While at least one Russian official claims that mobile phones' electromagnetic radiation attracts lightning, a more plausible attractor is the metal in mobile phones. Yes, metal can attract lightning. So it's possible that with more people walking around in thunderstorms with metal next to their heads, more people are getting zapped by lightning.
But the number of people killed by lightning is very low. Only about 50 people per year die in the United States from lightning, and only a small percentage (often zero percent) of these involved a mobile phone.
You're more likely to be mauled by an ill-tempered badger. So why are mobile phone-related lightning strikes making the news?
Here's what's really going on
In many of these cases, we're transferring blame for behavior from the people responsible to their mobile phones. So a careless pedestrian is now careless with a mobile phone as she walks into traffic. We know some foods cause cancer, but choose to eat them anyway -- then focus on mobile phones as a cancer risk. A neglectful mother now has a mobile phone in hand as she neglects her child. A distracted driver -- always dangerous -- is now using a mobile phone to distract himself, and so on.
Of course, mobile phones are involved in some accidents, injuries or maladies. But so far, it appears that the numbers are very small compared to other causes.
Banning or avoiding mobile phones wouldn't make a noticeable dent in rates of accidents, diseases or behavioral problems in children. By all means, take reasonable precautions with mobile phones. But what would really make a difference in your health and welfare is: Eat healthy foods, pay attention when you're driving, walking or rollerblading -- and be a good parent.
What we really need, in other words, is a return to personal responsibility. What we don't need is an electronic scapegoat.
Mike Elgan writes about technology and global tech culture. Contact Mike at mike.elgan@elgan.com or his blog, The Raw Feed.