Cell phones have greatly increased the usefulness of "drive time," and talking on a cell phone can certainly make a car trip go by faster. But we've all heard the horror stories about accidents caused by drivers who were talking on their cell phones, and many people have had close calls that they could see were caused by someone paying more attention to their conversation than their driving.

Some states have made laws against using cell phones when driving and other states and municipalities leave it to a policeman's discretion to decide whether or not to ticket drivers using cell phones. This does not mean that you cannot use cell phones in your car, but it does strongly suggest that if you do a lot of talking on cell phones when you are driving, you should consider adapting them for hands-free use. Most laws only pertain to the use of hand-held cell phones.

Using cell phones responsibly while driving is only common sense. It's always safer to have both hands on the wheel. It's best to have voice-activated dialing for cell phones being used in the car so that you don't look away from the road to dial your cell phone. And it goes without saying that if you're driving, you shouldn't be using cell phones to play games or take pictures. Cars cost a lot more than cell phones do!

Cell phones can also suffer if you leave them in the car. The batteries that power cell phones can be damaged by heat or cold. If cell phones get too cold, it's wise to bring them indoors and let them warm up before trying to use them.