I have dramatically reduced the amount of time I'm on my cell phone while driving because so many studies clearly show the dangers. But stats from the National Safety Council that I was recently reminded of made me think that maybe I'm not going far enough. Perhaps I need to completely ban myself from the cell on the road!

A couple of years ago, the National Safety Council reported that 1.4 million crashes in a recent research period involved people who were distracted by their cell phone. The number specifically involving texting is one-seventh or 200,000.

Very often people with long commutes will rely on a cell phone to alleviate boredom. Wisconsin is the latest of many states to put a ban on all cell phone use by novice drivers.

For those who are interested, Focus Driven offers an outlet for advocates of cell-free driving.

Do you think holding a conversation with a passenger can be just as distracting as yapping on the phone? On one hand you're right. But a passenger can serve as a co-pilot or lookout who might notice road dangers that you'd be oblivious to while alone on your cell phone.

Remember, lawyers are already subpoenaing cell phone records to determine if people involved in accidents were too busy to pay attention to the road. Don't be one of them...