A Digital Detox: Learning to Live With Technology John T. Gordon (Rusty), son of John T. R. Gordon and Lois Gordon, and a 35 year old father of two, was uncharacteristically absent from the lives of his family members. His absence was so uncharacteristic because he always went “to every single practice and game for baseball, softball, football, basketball, even the piano recitals and dance classes” (Faces, 2014) that his children were involved in. Rusty was even part of the only father-son bailiff team in the state of Ohio adding to the father-son bond. His absence wasn’t due to travelling, working odd hours as a law enforcement officer, or even any type of domestic separation, which has become common place. It was the result of something far more grim nature. Lois’s worst fear came to fruition one evening with a knock on the door. The visitor was the bearer of bad news; that while Rusty was riding his motorcycle he had been struck head on by a truck that swerved into his lane. The impact broke his neck which killed him instantly. Phone records were subpoenaed and at the time of the crash the other driver was on the phone. Rusty’s father John says “I was angry. I am still angry. It’s almost like texting is an addiction to these young adults and even the teenagers” (Faces, 2014) One could deduce that John is so angry not only because he lost his son, but because he probably feels that the loss of his son was preventable. Who or what is the main culprit when it comes to the bulk percentage of distracted driving incidents? Do technical and automobile manufacturers, along with drivers and government officials, all share an inherent responsibility to combat the current epidemic of distracted driving? As hard as it is... ... middle of paper ... ... 95-113. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy.devry.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=99529044-9cd7-4343-804b-0bb4d708475e%40sessionmgr4002&vid=15&hid=4209 PR, N. (2013, November 18). AT&T Launches Audiovox Car Connection™ Elite Series, a Do-It-Yourself Device that allows you to Monitor, Protect, Maintain, and stay in Control of Your Vehicle in Virtual Real-Time. PR Newswire US. Rosenberger, R. (2013). The Problem with Hands-Free Dashboard Cellphones. Communications of the ACM, 56(4), 38-40. doi:10.1145/2436256.2436268 U.S. Department of Transportation’s regulatory campaign against distracted driving is a multi-modal effort that includes automobiles, planes, trains, and commercial vehicles: Regulations. (2014, February 8), from Official US Government Website for Distracted Driving website: http://www.distraction.gov/content/dot-action/regulations.html
“New Devices Aim to Eliminate Distracted Driving.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.
In today’s day and age, there are so many excuses for distracted driving. Lives are put at risk every time a distracted motorist is on the road, and deaths have increased by a substantial amount in the last ten years. On Thursday, April 26th, 2014, one woman’s bad judgement cost her life (Hastings, 1). Not only was she affected, but her friends and family assuredly felt a pain in their hearts. In the few seconds it took Courtney Ann Sanford to post a few words on Facebook, it was enough to distract her from the road and to drive across another lane and through a median straight into a truck (Hastings, 1).
Young, Kristie L., John D. Lee, and Michael A. Regan. Driver Distraction: Theory, Effects, and Mitigation. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009. EBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
There are approximately 5,400 deaths per year that are linked to distracted driving, and thousands more were injured. (U.S. Department of Labor). Those fatalities are our neighbors, close friends, and even family. How can we prevent this from being so prominent? How can we make the roads a safe place to be again? These questions have many different answers, but many prove to be un-effective. I believe that the best and only way to resolve this issue is to implement tougher laws on cell-phone use in vehicles, and educate our youth to the best of our abilities on the dangers of distracted driving.
The term “distracted driving” may be hard to define, but, simply, it is the act of driving while being engaged in any activity. Stephanie Hanes describes in her article, how texting is a deadly epidemic. The distractions occurring while we drive on the road endangers the lives of drivers and passengers around us. Andrew Lavallee explains in his article “Companies build Services to End Texting and Driving,” how texting is wildly popular these days. David Andreatta points out some activities which drivers are engaged in while on road, in his article “Texting and Driving Can Spell Disaster.”
Distracted driving something that is known too well, and can been seen on a day to day basis on the road. But what is the underlining cause, and biggest reason for the negative impact of distracted driving. The conversation addresses the issue of DD (distracted driving), convey that adults and teens need to educate themselves about distracted driving. To inform adults and teens, 3 main points will be addressed in this paper, what is counts as distracted driving, what is the culture of entitlement, and lastly address some data.
Statistics show 16- to 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger, which is due to distracted driving. Taking your eyes off the road for 2 (two) seconds, at 60 mph, means you have driven blindly for half the length of a football field. The risk of fatality is 3.6 times higher, when they are driving with passengers than when alone. For many years, the correlation between driving behavior and age has interested highway safety researchers and administrators. It is general knowledge that the greatest risk of motor vehicle crash...
Several individuals need to be constantly sending messages to their friends and family members with the use of a cellphone while driving. More and more drivers have the urge to use their cell phones while driving. This dangerous mixture can result to be even deadly. “As one researcher concluded, a cellphone draws attention away from the routines that would provide a good representation of the driving environment” (qtd. in Seppa 3).
Each day in the United States, over 8 people are killed and 1,161 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver (Distracted Driving). There are a few different
We as a society need to all take responsibility when we are on the road and avoid the many temptations and distractions surrounding us. Distracted driving is dangerous plain and simple. Some may be willing to take the risk because they have never had an accident while behind the wheel. But it’s
Cell phones have become a part of mainstream culture. Recently they have become more affordable and accomplish much more than making and receiving calls. Along with the growing popularity there is also growing concerns about safety and health. In this paper we will address cell phone history and how they have evolved. We will discuss health concerns such as tumors and talking while driving. Finally, we will talk about all of the technology that cell phones can accomplish such as receiving Email and buying stocks.
Forty-one years ago on April 7, 1973, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper changed the world by making the world’s first cell phone call. With a 10-inch-long, 2.5-pound phone nicknamed “the brick” he called his engineering nemesis at the much bigger company Bell Labs (Here& Now, 2014). The phone gave 30 minutes of talk time after 10 hours of recharging and it cost a grand total of $3995. In those days, the average middle-class person could not afford to buy a mobile phone. By the late 1990s, cell phones became progressively accessible to the overall population. (Ef.org.vt.edu, 2014). Ever since then the sizes and the technologies in and of cell phones has been changing to accommodate the masses. Decades later, cell phones, and now smartphones, live in the pocket or purse of nearly everyone in the United States. Cell phones tell us the time, give us directions, take pictures, entertain us and help us exercise, all while making it possible to post each and every sordid detail to the internet without going anywhere near a computer. These new devices however convenient also bring complications along with them. This research paper will delved into the advantages and disadvantages of a cell phone, visit the health risk and factors affecting people who are exposed to cell phones, Discuss how cell phones have changed our way of communicating and socializing with one another, outline preventative measures surrounding the way cell phones have degraded our way of life and expound on the Thesis: Though cellular phones have provided many advantages since inception their cause more harm than their benefits they are worth.
The major purpose of cellphones is to provide an outlet for verbal communication at a distance, and as the generation progresses in the Digital Age, this purpose has shifted
Nevertheless, hands-free phones are just as disturbing as hand held phones. They both serve the same purpose when it comes to distracting the driver from state of the road. Thus, hand held devices do not increase safety, and I have observed this when using the cell phones as I drive. At the same time, I have noticed that my reaction time significantly reduced, and I almost caused an accident. When I look at this slow reaction, I compare it to that of an old...
Distracted driving is another large problem that is occurring with the abundance of cell phones. Distracted driving is defined as a type of inattention that occurs while driving that removes attention from the road, to another activity instead (1). The incidence Rate is 231,052 accidents cased by drivers using cell phones and texting this year (2). This is becoming more and more prevalent recently. In 2009 the number of crashes involving cell phon...