With the turn of the century Americans had already been introduced to the world of cell phones. In 1999; 86,047,003 cell phones subscribers existed worldwide, now the number is over 300,520,098 (High Beam Research). With this increased number of cell phone subscribers we are now facing the dangers of operating a cell phone while driving. Cell phones are dangerous to use while driving because one takes their eyes off the road, maintain only one hand on the steering wheel while talking, and even attempt to send texts while operating a motor vehicle. When the operator of a motor vehicle takes their eyes off of the road to answer their phone they do not plan on fumbling with their phone. Their intentions are good, let their loved one know they are on their way home, or to chat with a friend they haven’t spoken to for some time. Unfortunantly things don’t always happen the way we plan them. All it takes is the phone to slip from our grasps, to fall out of the cup holder and onto the passenger floor board, and now, for some odd reason, we must answer that phone call. The urgency suddenl...
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.
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).
The act of driving itself already demands a great amount of focus and concentration from the driver. Adding a cell phone to the picture introduces additional challenges for the brain. Researchers at Monash University's Accident Research Centre have shown that multi-tasking between driving and text messaging increases the mental workload causing higher levels of stress and frustration . For instance, stress is heightened when shifting from driving on a local route to entering a highway or vice versa. Using a phone (checking a text message, posting a Facebook status) contributes to increasing the complexity of the task at hand. This exhausts the brain, weakens the operator’s driving abilities, and compromises th...
You can drive down the road at any time of the day and see someone driving and talking on their cellphones. You will also notice that the person using their cellphone while driving will not be paying attention, drive slow in the fast lane and not looking while making a turn. I once had someone come into my lane, as if I wasn’t there and almost run me off the road. When I looked into the car to see their face I saw a cellphone up to their ear. People tend to forget that they shouldn’t drive and talk on their cellphone. They think what’s happening on the other end of the phone is more important than focusing on the roads.
Some of us love them so much that constantly have to have them in our hands. Sure that our whole life might be on cell phone, however we should not let it be the reason to end our life in a car crash. Many of us use our cellphones while driving, because we naturally like to think that nothing bad could happen to us, and that we are always in control. But usually that is not the case. According to text and driving safety.com “77% of young adults are very or somewhat confident that they can safely text and while driving. 55% of young adult drivers claims it’s easy to text while they drive” Rather than having a safe point A to point B trip inside our vehicle, we rather flex our awesome multitasks skills and use our cell phone while
The use of cellphones has become more popular with every passing year, causing many people to become physically and emotionally attached to their cellphones. American society today is constantly on the phone, from texting, to calling, to surfing the web, to even taking pictures; people seem to never put their phones down. Since the use of cells phones is skyrocketing, it has brought up an issue that the use of these devices while behind the wheel increases accidents (Hahn and Preiger par. 1). People don’t realize how distracting a cellphone can really be. Distracted driving is defined as, “driving a vehicle while engaging in an activity that has the potential to distract the driver from the task of driving”(dictionary. reference.com). Almost everyone owns a cellphone today, causing distracted driving to become a big issue (Driven to Distraction par. 1). When a driver is distracted from driving they are unaware of the things happening in their driving environment. Using a cellphone while driving causes drivers to become distracted from driving physically, visually, cognitively and from their auditory senses.
Nearly 1.6 million accidents happen annually because of cell phones. Cell phones can be a major danger to anyone who is using them. People do not realize that they are not only putting their own lives in danger, but they are putting others at risk also. When people are driving they tend to take their eyes off the road, which can cause a distraction and eventually lead to accidents. Cell phones can cause hearing loss. There are many solutions on how to solve texting and driving. Cell phones play a dangerous role in today’s world because they are a major distraction to people who are driving, they cause health problems, however there are solutions to these problems.
It is impossible to decline the fact that cell phones have caused too many traffic related deaths and injuries. Experts, public opinion all say driving while on the phone is extremely dangerous. One out
At any given moment, one in five drivers around are texting on their phone while driving(Scholastic Action 2010). Cell phones have created a huge problem in America. Nearly 100 percent of vehicles have a cell phone in the car while driving, often times in arms reach. Crashes caused by distracted drives kill thousands of innocent people every year. In todays society Americans cannot go without a cell phone for several minutes. For instance in classes many students are on their phone before class starts.
To begin, using a handheld cell phone while driving is very distracting. When a person is driving, their full attention should be on the road. If they start using their phone while driving they will not be paying attention and they could wreck. For example, someone could be texting while driving, when all of a sudden a deer jumps in front of them and they are not paying attention so they hit it. Also, occasionally at stoplights people get on their phones and are not watching to see when the light changes. For instance, there is a woman at a stop light while it is reed, so she starts texting, but when it turns green she is not
First of all, there are times when a person is driving and an important matter may require their attention. However, that does not constitute the use of a cell phone while driving. It is much safer and easier to just pull the vehicle to the side of the roadway or a nearby parking lot and then answer
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
I, as a driver, too, think that cell phone use while driving is a distraction. Even though I personally don’t own a phone, I have used one. I noticed that talking on the cellular phone and driving doesn’t make it hard to focus on the road. But it is difficult and a major distraction to dial-up a number without losing focus on the road. Dialing a number is the main distraction about cel...
It is a huge responsibility to drive a car and one which should not be taken for granted because it is associated with the lives of others. By speaking on cell phones while driving, such a responsibility is treated with impunity and the dangers ignored.
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...