Distracted driving causes far fewer car accidents than alcohol use, but the Department of Transportation still says phones in cars should be outlawed across the entire country.

Although a reverse lookup phone number search allows you to learn who a phone number belongs to and delivers the information behind anonymous phone calls, if U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gets his way, you will not be performing any number searches from inside your car. LaHood has been a supporter of state laws that ban cell phone use while driving in the past, but his agency has never before called for a federal law banning it altogether. Even though 38 states already have laws restricting or outlawing the use of electronic devices while driving and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that distracted driving was the cause of just 3,000 fatal traffic accidents nationwide last year, a number that is far less than the number of fatalities caused by alcohol-related traffic accidents, Secretary LaHood now says he thinks texting and talking on a cell phone while driving should be outlawed across the entire country. LaHood is calling for tougher federal legislation to deal with what he calls the “national epidemic” of distracted driving and maintains that law enforcement officials should have the ability to write tickets when people think they can use a cell phone and text and drive.

LaHood’s position is a bit unusual when you consider that the U.S. Department of Transportation reported just last year that only 9% of highway fatalities in 2010 were caused by distracted driving, compared to the 31% of deaths linked to alcohol use. The agency has also reported that the number of highway fatalities have been dropping since the 1980s and in 2010 they fell to the lowest level since 1949, a time when Americans drove much less and obviously used far less technology in their cars too. Despite the low numbers, many people feel that distracted driving is still a big problem because tests have shown that using a cell phone while driving delays a driver’s reaction time exactly the same as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08.

Critics of the laws banning cell phone use in cars contends that more laws are unnecessary because there are already many other laws covering the many different possible aspects of inattentive driving. One critic, Gary Biller, president of the National Motorists Association, said “”It shouldn’t matter if the driver is distracted by a conversation with another vehicle passenger, tuning the radio, eating a snack, or talking on a cell phone, existing laws cover all those distractions and more.” However, Mr. LaHood and the Department of Transportation have switched gears and now say stronger laws are needed to criminalize the activity so that people will stop doing it. The National Transportation Safety Board goes even father in the debate and is now recommending banning the use of hands-free phones while driving too. Until now, the Department of Transportation had not recommended a ban on hands-free phones, but LaHood said the agency is researching the use and effects of hands-free devices and has begun talking to the car manufacturers about the overall practice of installing Internet-connected features into cars. If LaHood and his agency get their way, your 2012 automobile might a lot more Internet connected and distracting than your disconnected 2015 model will ever be.

The National Do Not Call Registry is a consumer protection law created
to help American consumers maintain their privacy and limit incoming
telemarketing calls. Signing up for the program is easy and your phone
number will remain on the list permanently unless you take direct
action to remove it. The Registry is a free service provided by the
U.S. government, and any telemarketers who violate the law may be
subject to hefty fines.

Although the National Do Not Call Registry has been in effect since
2004, many Americans are still a bit confused as to what it is and how
to utilize it. The registry was originally conceived as a law that
would help U.S. consumers limit the number of unwanted and often
annoying telemarketing calls they receive, but it has taken the public
a while to make use of the program and many people who could probably
benefit from it, still don’t use it today. The way the law works is
fairly straightforward, and all consumers need to do is simply call
the program and register by telephone. Although the Do-Not-Call law
does prevent direct phone solicitation from most types of
telemarketers, it does not cover the growing phenomenon of political
“robo-calls” that fall under a separate group of regulations.

Because it falls under the category of consumer protection, official
management of the National Do Not Call Registry is handled by the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Signing up for the Registry is super
easy and all consumers need to do is to call 1-888-382-1222 from the
phone number that they desire to register in the system, or they can
sign up online on the program’s website at donotcall.gov. Consumers
who register by telephone don’t need to take any further action,
however those people registering online will need a working email
address. After registering online, the Registry will send a response
to the email address with a link that must be clicked on within 72
hours in order to complete a new registration. As soon as your number
is registered, your phone number will show up on the registry list the
next day and the clock starts ticking for the telemarketers who have
just 31 days from the registration date to stop calling you
altogether.

The National Registry is supposed to be used for personal phone
numbers only and business phones and fax numbers will not be allowed
to register. Personal cell phone numbers are covered under the
Registry as well. Thanks to the passage of the Do-Not-Call Improvement
Act of 2007, your personal phone number will remain permanently active
on the Registry and will not expire unless you take direct action to
remove it. You can remove a phone number from the Registry by calling
1-888-382-1222 from the telephone number you want to delete. Other
factors can affect your Registry status though, and if your number is
disconnected for any reason, and then reconnected, you will have to
re-register it. Changes to the telephone plan you are on can also
sometimes affect your registry status, and if you have changing
calling plans or changing the name on the billing account, you may
have to register the number again.

Although the Do-Not-Call Registry will stop most calls that solicit
the sales of goods or services, it will not prevent calls from
political organizations, charities, and telephone surveys. It also
will not stop calls from companies that you already have an existing
business relationship with, or any business that you have given an
express agreement in writing that it is OK to receive their calls.
Third-party telemarketer calls are covered though, and if a
third-party telemarketer tries to get around the Registry by calling
on behalf of another prohibited party, that telemarketer could be
subject to a fine up to $11,000.

If your telephone number is on the Registry and you do receive an
unwanted call from a telemarketer, you can lodge a formal complaint by
contacting the registry’s website or by calling them directly at
1-888-382-1222. All that is required to file the complaint is the name
or telephone number of the company that called, and the date they
called you. There is really no reason to be receiving unwanted
telephone sale pitches these days when the Do-Not-Call Registry is a
free and simple service available to anyone with a personal phone
number.

Although a reverse telephone number lookup service allows users to trace the
origin and source of any call and takes the anonymity away from random
callers, putting the power of information back into your own hands, you
can’t lookup a number or call anyone if you die behind the wheel because you
were distracted by the cell phone in your hand.

A recent study of states with laws prohibiting the use of hand-held cell
phones conducted by the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at
the University of California at Berkley in California shows that the laws
resulted in 22% decline in overall traffic deaths. The study also found that
fatalities of motorists who used hand-held cell phones decreased by 47 %.
The researchers reviewed the records of traffic crashes two years before and
two years after state bans went into effect, and the results seem to show
that the laws banning hand-held cell phone use while driving have had a
positive impact on reducing traffic fatalities and injuries overall.

Fewer crashes overall could also be due to increased law enforcement though,
as the cost of a ticket in California for a first offense is significant at
around $159 and according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles,
there were 460,487 hand-held cell phone convictions in 2011, up 22% from
2010 and up 52% from 2009. A concerted public awareness campaign in
California seems to have successfully educated drivers that that texting and
talking are the biggest safety concerns on California roadways. A full 84%
of survey respondents in California said they felt cell phone conversations
or texting while driving are the most serious driving distractions, and an
opinion poll showed that four out of ten California drivers said they now
talk less with hand-held phones and hands-free phones since the state’s ban
began in 2008.

The observations in California appear to concur with a telephone survey
conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that found 44% of
the drivers in those states with phone/driving bans reported no longer use
any type of phone, hand-held or hands-free, while driving. This is
contrasted by the 30% of drivers who said they will continue to use both
types of phones behind the wheel in those states that do not have
driving/phone bans. It has often been said, as goes California – so goes the
rest of the nation. Often this has been a disparaging remark, however in the
case of driving while using the phone, going the “way of California” may not
be such a bad thing at all.

Although a reverse phone lookup directory will allow anyone with a computer and an internet connection to learn more about the names behind the unknown calls they might be receiving, you need to have a phone in order to receive those calls in the first place. And anyone with a cell phone knows that while they are compact marvels of modern convenience, they do eventually wear out, break or fail and require replacement with a newer and hopefully, more technologically advanced phone.

Lacking any type of easy recycling program, most people who are constantly buying new phones and updating their connected devices either stash their old phones in a drawer somewhere or they simply throw them out, a practice that contributes to the growing global problem of e-waste. When e-waste is not disposed of responsibly, it is usually exported illegally to developing countries where it will be processed in very unsafe ways.

Now, thanks to the EcoATM, there is a way to do the Earth a favor and also get some quick cash for your efforts. The EcoATM is a free-standing, ATM-size machine that will give you a quote on your old phone based on the price hundreds of electronics recycling companies are willing to pay for it, and if you accept the offered quote, the machine will give you the cash right there on the spot. As a recycling tool, the EcoATM is a great example of technology solving a problem created by technology.

The machine will pay cash for a variety of portable electronic devices and is already available at about 50 locations in malls and grocery stores in California. A full nationwide roll-out of some 500 EcoATM machines is scheduled for the second half of 2012.

The EcoATM has a large touch screen along with a depository where you can place a phone, MP3 player, tablet, Kindle or other device into a metal tray where the machine’s camera identifies it against a database of some 4,000 different electronic gadgets. The machine then presents a cable which must be plugged in to see if the device in question is working before it provides a price quote based on what second hand electronic recycling companies are willing to pay for it. If you accept the offer, the EcoATM will instantly dispense the cash for your device.

EcoATM chairman and CEO Tom Tullie said “We believe strongly in re-purposing good electronics that can be refurbished and used by consumers in other markets. We find a second life for about 75% of the used devices we collect. For the other 25% of devices that are truly at their end of life, we work with either R2-certified or BAN-certified recyclers who reclaim the raw materials and precious metals in an environmentally responsible way.”

Most people know that a reverse phone lookup directory is an effective online background search tool that continues to grow in popularity because of its convenience and ease of use. Although the idea of a reverse number search may be relatively new, these days it is rapidly becoming much more common and entering a phone number into a directory to retrieve names is now considered the standard way to find the names behind the numbers.

Armed with just a phone number, it is now possible to learn more about the person who owns the phone, including name, address, email address, office, school, and other records. Anyone can access reverse phone lookup directories as long as you have a computer and internet connection. Reverse searches can also be performed on smart phones as well.

Because reverse phone searches provide access to an extensive database of cell phone numbers, landline numbers, as well as both listed and unlisted numbers, people use reverse phone lookups for many different reasons. Catch a cheating spouse, stop a prank caller, and search backgrounds when you are hiring new employees or interviewing tenants. Identify telemarketers, or track down old friends and relatives, a reverse cell phone number search can provide many benefits related to security and privacy.

The only problem with the ease of retrieving names is that a reverse phone number search can either be helpful or harmful, depending on who is doing the searching. A reverse search also allows other people to find you. If someone was looking for you, they can easily get the information they need to contact you, even people you may not want contact with. Plus, there is the fact that when you type in a phone number you may also get any previously known addresses of a person along with their age and perhaps some other tidbit of personal information.. In today’s modern technological world, those tiny bits of information can be enough to perform more searches to glean even more personal data. This is may be a great convenience for normal people, but it can also be a great convenience for crooks, frauds and scammers. Like many things in life, the technology of the Internet is a tool that can be used for both good and bad, depending on the user’s intent.

By now, most people recognize that reverse phone number lookup directories allow users to search for names by using only a telephone number only. Unlike a standard telephone directory, the reverse lookup directories can supply information like the name and address behind an otherwise anonymous phone number. Reverse lookup not only allows users to learn the identity of a company or individual behind a blind phone number, they can also show you what state and town the calls are coming from too. Knowing the identity of people calling you on the phone has never been more important than it is today in a world of fast moving technology. Because the technology is changing so rapidly, certain aspects of privacy and protection are not as effective as they once might have been.

However, when it comes to families with children or teenagers in the home, privacy and protection issues can be paramount. . As families purchased computers and went online, their children did too and issues concerning online bullies and child predators became a big parental worry. Early on, the online chat rooms where children and teens posted generated the most worry and concern. In time, both kids and parents evolved a bit and today are more savvy about online dangers, but the fact that kids now have unprecedented access to cell phones poses new worries as they could be getting calls from people neither they nor their parents know. Identifying who is calling your kids may not be a huge concern to your children, but when someone is harassing them by phone, it is up to the parents to ensure their safety. A reverse phone number lookup can help parents get an idea of what is going on, but when the threats become persistent, it is time to get the proper authorities involved.

When your child receives repeated phone calls from people you don’t know or is making calls to numbers you don’t recognize, the proper authority is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI’s Cyber Division has prepared a document to help parents deal with phone or online threats titled “A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety” that says while talking to a child victim on-line might be a thrill for a computer-sex offender, most really want to talk to children on the telephone. Predators will often attempt to engage in “phone sex” with children at first and then attempt to set up an actual meeting for real sex later.

The FBI’s Parent’s Guide also instructs that while many phone or computer predators may give out their telephone numbers, some offenders have obtained toll-free 800 numbers, so that their potential victims can call them without their parents finding out. Others may tell the child to call collect, however both methods result in the predator being able to see the child’s phone number with a simple Caller ID feature.

While a child may be hesitant to give out his/her home phone number, the computer-sex offenders will give out theirs. With Caller ID, they can readily find out the child’s phone number. Some computer-sex offenders have even obtained toll-free 800 numbers, so that their potential victims can call them without their parents finding out. Others will tell the child to call collect. Both of these methods result in the computer-sex offender being able to find out the child’s phone number. Reverse phone number lookup directories can serve as a parent’s first line of defense when it comes to protecting their children. If a situation escalates and persists, it is recommended parents contact their local FBI office or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. The Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety can be found at the FBI web site or by writing to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cyber Division, Innocent Images National Initiative, 11700 Beltsville Drive, Calverton, MD 20705.

Parents often have a false sense of security when thinking their children are safe and sound while they attend school. As a result, many children today now face a far more serious problem than their parents realize in the form of the school bully. Unfortunately, most instances of school bully activity are unreported by the victims and it is often difficult for parents and teachers to discover the problem and help the victim deal with the harm inflicted upon them. In addition to the standard school yard bully, today there is a new type of bully that your children may encounter online after school hours in the form of Cyber-Bully’s who use the internet to follow their victims home after school. Online bullying is now so prevalent that over 33% of kids who are active online have been the victim of at least one Cyber Bully.

The statistics from several recent surveys of kid’s use of the Internet sheds light on some very disturbing information including the fact that over 75% of U.S. school children are, or have been, the target of a bully or Cyber-Bully that caused them physical, psychological or emotional harm. Some 20% of the students surveyed confessed to being a bully or taking part in bullying actions, and what might be worse is that more than half of all bullying events go unreported.

The bullying numbers get worse the farther you dig into them, with over 280,000 children being physically attacked by a school bully every month. That means every seven minutes a kid is bullied on a school playground in the U.S. somewhere, and over 85% of the incidents occur without any intervention from adults who could help with the problem. The problem is so huge that every day there are over 150,000 kids who stay home and miss school because they are fearful that they will be bullied if they do attend classes and nearly half of all boys and one quarter of all girls end up in physical confrontations as a result of being bullied.

When your usually chatty and happy kid comes home from school a little depressed and much quieter than normal, it can be a sign that something bad is up. If your kid suddenly stops communicating with friends and seems like they don’t want to read their text messages anymore, it may be due to bullying over the phone by text message.

Parent who are rightly concerned about their children’s safety and welfare may not get a complete answer when they ask their teen who is the source of the bullying. However, if you can get your hands on their cell phone for a moment, you can look at the call history to find the number of the person who has been sending the threatening or suggestive messages. Once you’ve got a number in hand, the next step is to find the person behind that number.

Obviously, with the suspect number in hand, you can find out who has been calling by employing a reverse phone number search. The reverse phone number lookup is a very effective tool that allows you to learn a surprising amount of information about a caller. Based on what you learn from the reverse phone search and comments from your own kid, you can assure your child that the problem will be dealt with directly and immediately, and if not by the police, then perhaps by another appropriate course of action. The important thing is that you deal with the problem as soon as possible using the best tools at your disposal, and for many parents, the best and most effective tool is usually a reverse phone number search.

If you suspect your significant other may be leading a double life behind your back, the best course of action is obviously to determine if your suspicions are correct. Since voluntary admissions, lie detector tests and truth serums are unlikely to be offered up by a cheating partner, you’ll have to get smart in order to catch your cheater red-handed.

When a relationship has already soured to the point of lies and suspicion, the most common way to obtain solid proof of cheating is to spy on the suspected cheater of course. One of the most common methods of checking up on a wayward partner in the past was to hire a private investigator to see exactly what goes on when you’re not around. However, a private investigator is definitely not the most inexpensive or accessible option in today’s world of instant communication. Learning to be a spy is not really a viable option either, so, even if you don’t have the kind of money it takes to hire a private investigator, you do have the option of using your partner’s cell phone to discover evidence of cheating.

Cheating partners will use their cell phones to talk with their lovers instead of a land-line house phone because they are less likely to get caught that way. If a cheater has used a home phone, but has deleted the records of mysterious incoming phone calls, you can still dial *69 to obtain the number of the last incoming call. This will allow you to put the suspicious number through a reverse phone number search and generate a name and address to go with it.

If you can actually get your hands on the suspected cheater’s cell phone, you can check the incoming and outgoing log history for suspicious activity like names and numbers you don’t recognize. Look for repeated calls to the same number many times during a single day as that is almost a certain sign that your significant other is cheating on you. In addition to checking the incoming and outgoing call history, be sure to check out any stored text and pictures messages that also might contain incriminating evidence of cheating.

Because text messaging is such a favorite method of silent communication between illicit partners, a cheater may try to delete the texting evidence on a regular basis. However, few people realize that the records of deleted text messages remain buried deep within the SIM card of a cell phone, and if you can borrow the phone long enough to remove the SIM card, a data recovery service can easily recover the deleted texts. The deleted photos can also be a treasure trove of cheating evidence because, as they say, a picture can be worth a thousand word or characters in this particular case.

You should know that the practice of adding unauthorized charges to your phone bill known as “cramming” is illegal. It doesn’t matter whether you are using a cell phone or a land line phone, anonymous third parties have been tacking unwanted charges onto users’ phone bills under obscure descriptions and names like Extra Services, Voicemail Services or Other Fees, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says it has plans to step up and get more aggressive in enforcing the existing rules against the shady practice.

Even though the FCC has attempted to stop the practice by making it a crime punishable by fines and jail time, cramming is all too common these days and often very hard to detect because the charges may only represent a few dollars a month and often go unnoticed. The practice usually starts with a third party adding charges to your phone bill without your permission for services you never ordered or intended to pay for. In some cases it is a service that was offered and declined, but you got charged for anyway. The end result is the same though, phone bill cramming is something that you never chose to pay for at all and ultimately amounts to outright theft.

However, it’s hard to prosecute someone when the victim is not even aware there was a crime committed and the FCC estimates that only about 5% of phone users charged for crammed services ever become aware they are being ripped off. There are a few ways you can protect yourself though. Always read your entire phone bill to spot any strange additions that you did not authorize. One thing you can do to reduce cramming is not charging any “extra” services to your phone and wireless bills like making charitable donations via text messages, subscribing to weekly horoscopes or and buying ring-tone services. This will make it easier to spot any charges that you didn’t authorize. If you must use paid phone services, try to keep track of what was actually authorized and when it is charged to your bill. Fake add-on charges are harder to detect when they are buried in the same phone bill with a bunch of other charges. Phone users who do not utilize paid services at all can ask their service carriers for an all-inclusive block of any third-party charges on your bill. Some phone service carriers also offer a third carrier freeze that will prevent third parties from changing the features and settings of your normal long-distance service to add fees.

If you do find a suspicious or unwanted charge on your bill that you did not authorize, always give the company a call and ask to have the charges removed and discontinued immediately. If the source of the unwanted charges is evasive or impossible to get in touch with, you then have the option of disputing the charges with your own phone company. When speaking with suspicious companies on the phone, be careful what you say and never agree to anything unless you are sure you completely understand the terms of any agreement s you make. If all else fails, you always have the option of making a direct complaint to the FCC to report a company that is adding unwanted or unauthorized charges to your phone bill.

Thanks to the Internet it is now possible search online to obtain the city and state for a person or phone number and in many cases full names, complete addresses, gender, occupation, marital status and various other personal details may be available as well. The information obtained from public records and marketing databases can also include court documents, county and state records, voter registration, subscriptions and many other items of personal info. A lot of the information can be obtained for free, while more specific and detailed reports might be fee-based. This is all great news if you are the person looking for the information, but some people concerned with protecting their privacy might not be so happy with the situation.

People concerned with privacy issues should take note that the most effective way to limit your personal data on the Web is to try to remove it completely. The process involves contacting the largest online databases and going through the required procedure to remove your information from their search results. You can simply opt out of some databases, while others may require online forms or the mailing of handwritten requests. While it is not realistic that you will be able to remove every shred of personal information available about you online, the amount of data can be reduced.

One of the largest online databases is US Search and many online directories also link to it. To remove your records from US Search results you simply need to send a written request using regular postal mail. You need to include your name, birth date and Social Security number along with your addresses going back 15 years. The same goes for Intelius, another large online database. Intelius reports will include your birth date, court records and address history. You can request removal from Intelius by faxing a copy of a photo ID card or driver’s license along with your request for removal from its records. Acxiom is another big database that provides data to business websites and law enforcement agencies. Acxiom has two databases, one for marketing and one for reference queries. You can’t request removal from the reference database, but you can request an opt-out form via telephone or e-mail to get out of the marketing database. Likewise for the WhitePages.com directory where anyone can see your name and address in its search results. You can remove your information from the WhitePages at its website with an online form.

While it is not really possible to remove your records from all of the different databases out there, you can at least limit some of the information. There are some databases that will not cooperate with attempts to remove records and in those instances you may need an attorney armed with a court order to get your information removed.