Death by Cell-Phone
Imagine being in the passenger seat of a car on a quiet street in Atlanta. At about 4:00 A.M. a cell phone begins to ring; then the driver reaches down to grab the phone. Within the next few moments, the driver loses control of the car. The car wraps around a telephone poll. This isn’t a dream. In fact, it was reality for model Niki Taylor in May of 2001. According to the USA Today, Niki Taylor was seriously injured in this accident with extensive damage to her liver and abdomen.
Most people who remember this incident might not know that the cause of it was a cell-phone. This accident, however, is just one example of the dangers that are involved when someone uses their cell phone while operating a motor vehicle.
Many people just sit back and think that this could never happen to them, but have they ever thought about how well they really pay attention to the road when they are on their cell-phone? It is proven that people talking on their cell phone cannot fully control his/her vehicle while moving stated in the Consumers Research Magazine. The use of a cell phone also can reduce the driver's physical control--one hand on the steering wheel, one hand on the phone--which reduces response capability during an emergency.
Cell phones have become increasingly popular over the years especially through college age students. Most college students cannot afford to pay a phone bill at their house or in their dorm, so they keep a cell phone to talk to friends or family back home. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers between the ages of 20 and 54 accounted for 81 percent of the accidents reviewed. Some 72 percent of those talking on a cell phone at the time of acci...
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Ropeik, David; Gray, George. “Cell Phones and Driving: How risky?” Consumers’ Research Magazine, 86 (Winter 2003). Academic Search Premier. Colorado State U Lib. 5 March, 2003. <http://search.epnet.com>
Schwartz, Epharim. “ Its time for drivers to defend the (wireless) right to bear cell phones”. InfoWorld 22 (Summer 2002). EBSCO Academic Search Premier. Colorado State U Lib. 30 march,2003. http://search.epnet.com>
Over the past two decades the use of cell phones has grown significantly and statistic from the past two years have proven that driving while on the phone or texting is becoming one of the leading causes of traffic accidents today. In 2011, a survey of more than 2800 American adults revealed that even thought they know that using a cell phone or texting while driving is distracting, they do it anyway, and teens surveyed admit that texting while driving is their number one distraction. "Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% ...
While driving down the turnpike do you ever see an auto before you that is swerving or accelerating and backing off? At that point you think to yourself, "I would prefer not to take after behind or be in the path right alongside them." So you accelerate, and beyond any doubt enough the driver is utilizing their mobile phone. Actually, I am certain you have. Mobile phone utilization while driving is not just disappointing for different drivers; it is exceptionally perilous to all drivers who are on the road. At the point when a driver is utilizing a mobile phone, it doesn 't make a difference what sort of individual they are, or what their age is, or their sexual orientation, accidents don 't demonstrate any
T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. ed. M. H. Abrams New York, London: Norton, 1993.
T.S. Eliot’s poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock has a plethora of possible interpretations. Many people argue that the poem represents a man who appears to be very introverted person who is contemplating a major decision in his life. This decision is whether or not he will consummate a relationship with someone he appears to have an attraction to or feelings for. People also debate whether or not Prufrock from the poem is typical of people today. While there are a plethora of reasons Prufrock is not typical of people today the main three reasons are he is very reserved, he overthinks most situations and he tries avoid his problems instead of solve them.
Cell phones also pose troubling health issues. In addition, many local cities and states have prohibited the use of cell phones while driving, yet many more are considering the ban of cell phones while driving. Some in the industry say cell phones are no more dangerous than car radios, and the productivity and usefulness in emergencies outweigh the safety cost. Not to mention, there are concerns that prolonged cell phone use may cause cancer or other health related problems. Sarah Glazer is an American journalist based in London. She is a Contributing Writer for the Washington, D.C.-based
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).
This paper examines the dangers that arise when cell phones are used at the same time as operating a vehicle. The paper will explore the following question of why this is a problem and why the research is important. The variables investigated are the use of cell phones while driving, whether speaking or texting, and the accidents and fatalities caused from the distraction. Data of the accidents and fatalities caused by drivers distracted by their cells phones is stated to research and further explores the age group and gender of the people involved into the accidents to uncover patterns. Possible outcomes of the implementation of laws prohibiting cell phone use while driving are discussed as well as the sampling measures used to survey and research the variables.
Some people argue that just as many car accidents would happen if the use of cell phones were not involved. According to Shows Cellphone Use, “Using a cellphone while driving may be distracting, but it does not lead to higher crash risks.” It is hard to miss the number of drivers with phones glued to their hands. As they dangerously multitask while driving around other vehicles and pedestrians. Those who decide to use their phones are simultaneously contributing to a lack of visual, manual, and cognitive attention a driver needs to remain focused (Injury Prevention, 2015). With the potential of crashing being 23 times greater than the risk posed by drunk driving (No Texting, 2015). With statistical information providing a connection between distracted drivers and increased accidents, it is hard to believe there are some who feel it is not
Not only does it put the driver of the car in danger, but it also puts the passengers and the surrounding cars at risk. Using a cell phone while driving has been proven to be just as dangerous as driving under the influence. At any given moment during the day, around 800,000 people are driving cars while using a hand-held device, which unfortunately puts everyone else at risk of a car crash. In the recent year, 21% of fatal car crashes involved the use of a cellular device (Prof. David J. Hanson, 1997-2015). Unfortunately, humans, especially teenagers, cannot put down their cell phones while they drive due to the many notifications they receive. They are addicted. This points back to how the cell phones are affecting the mental health of humans. In 2007, Bailey Goodman, a seventeen-year-old, was killed along with four of her friends in a car accident. Goodman
The use of cell phones while a vehicle in motion should be banned throughout the United States. Texting, searching the internet, talking on the phone is a very big distraction, and could cause someone to get hurt or even worse; killed and the current teenage generation thinks talking on a cellphone while driving is second nature. It’s a known fact that the use of cell phones while driving can be deadly. It only takes one split second for a person to look away from the road to cause an accident. So-called distracted driving crashes claimed 5,474 lives and led to 448,000 injuries across the country last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA]. (Mayerowitz, Scott, and Lisa Stark. par. 4)Yet people continue to talk, text and browse the internet while operating a motor vehicle.
People are constantly fixated on their phones, checking social media and texting and they seem to have become accustom to doing this wherever they please, whether it be at dinner, at work or in the car. The use of a cell phone while driving is extremely dangerous and destructive to not only the driver, but also everyone driving around them. Every year, twenty one percent of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of using their cell phone while behind the wheel. This statistic is expected to grow as much as four percent every year. But, texting and driving is not just a problem among teen drivers. One-fifth of adult drivers in the United States also report sending text messages while driving (“Cell Phone & Texting Accidents”). To help fight this problem, the government needs much take a stronger stance and try to stand up against texting and driving to make the idea a bigger deal and implement harsher punishments, as well as stressing the damaging effects of texting and driving to children and teens early on in
Texting while driving is a widespread epidemic in the United States that has unfavorable effects on our society.“Driving while texting is the standard wording used for traffic violations” (Bernstein). It causes many people to be distracted which can lead to accidents. “Eighty-nine percent of people own a cell phone” (Gardner). That is a plethora of people that are at risk of texting while driving. Also, texting has increased by ten times in three years(Bernstein). “The risk of a crash for those who are texting is twenty-three point two times greater than those who are not” (Gardner).Driving drunk only makes a person seven times more likely to be in a crash (Bernstein). This means texting while driving is three times more dangerous than driving intoxicated. One in five drivers admits to texting while driving(Gardner). This shows that that texting while driving is a widespread epidemic. When a survey asked teenagers whether they text and drive,“seventy five percent of teens admitted to texting while driving” (7).Distracted driving causes seventy-eight percent of car crashes(Bernstein). “No distraction causes as high of a risk of an accident as texting while driving” (Gardner). Also with these statistics, it is not hard to understand why accidents in teenagers that are driving have risen. The Bluetooth capability in cars gives a driver a hands-free way to talk on the phone, but is still not completely safe (8). Also, only 1 out of 3 US cars sold in 2009 had this feature. New systems are being developed that will use Bluetooth as well a global positioning technology to allow parents to monitor cell phone use and texting while driving (10).
In today's world, cell phone made peoples life easier as we can do many things with it such as text messaging, receiving phone calls, or surfing websites to get in touch with people. Almost everyone has appeared to carry one of these devices. But with technology growing rapidly cell phone isn't becoming only useful but becoming more dangerous and putting people's life at risk. And one of the most dangerous sides of the cell phone is using it while driving. The research is beginning to show that driving while simply talking on a cell phone had caused a lot of accident in the following year.
We are not certain if cell phones have a negative impact on driving safety. None of the experts dispute that finger dialing and hand-held phones momentarily distract drivers. The driver must have the ability to concentrate first and foremost on driving. Many argue that coffee mugs, CD players, radio-even car fax machines, and computers can cause equal or worse distractions for drivers. The question I how responsible is the individual behind the wheel. The risk of being involved in traffic accidents while using cell phones was nearly four times that of the average driver. Using a hands free phone is equally as hazardous as a normal cell phone. Also, it is hard to prove that using a cell phone is dangerous. Advances in technology have lad to voice recognition phones. These types of phones may be a helpful tool in making the roads safer. When the car phone first appeared, some police officials worried that drivers using them would not pay attention to the road and would get into accidents; In fact, the phones have slightly made roads safer. "The point," said Master Sgt. John Duley, of the Connecticut State Policy, "is to drive safely."
Over the last few decades, the use of cell phones has become a very common tool. Furthermore, Technology has certainly advanced, and the cell phone is becoming the most preferred mode of communication. The demand for a cell phone is growing every day. In addition, the use of wireless technology is affordable, and anyone can buy a cell phone at a reasonable price. They come in all shapes and sizes. They range from black to bright metallic white. American public use of cell phones is increasing everyday. As the number of people using cell phones increase, the use of cell phones while driving will also increase on our streets and highways. At the same rate, motorists still converse on cell phones and write text messages while driving. Motorist will also engage in other activities apart from driving. For example, drivers will text when driving, and they will dial numbers. Drivers will receive calls and converse with the recipient for long periods. Again, driving demands your full attention, and your concentration needed when talking on the phone. However, it means that the driver has to divert his attention to the conversation, which leads to less concentration on the road. On the contrary, one can therefore connect motorist’s accidents and cell phone usage while driving.