One day Chandler Gerber 23, of Bluffton collided with an Amish buggy back in April of 2012. A three year old boy and a five year old girl were killed. A 17 year old boy who was in critical condition died several days later. Chandler was sending a text that said “ I love you” to his wife when he caused the accident. Drivers who were texting were 23.2 times more likely to crash to those who weren’t texting (Cell Phones and Texting). The increasing amount of crashes caused from texting and driving and growing and becoming more of a problem. Distracted driving is an increasing problem in the United States resulting in many accidents, but a solution to the problem would be banning cellphones while driving. Distracted driving is such an increasing problem in the U.S. that there are laws against driving distracted. In New Jersey there is a handheld ban for all drivers and that is a primary law. There is a ban on all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for novice drivers. There is also a ban on texting for all drivers. This problem Is growing, drivers who are texting are 23.2 times more likely to get into a crash than people who aren’t (Cell Phones and Texting). Every driver takes their eyes off the road for approximately 4.6 seconds when texting. Driving is a new skill for teens, so doing multiple things simultaneously takes more effort for them than for more experienced drivers. Texting and driving can ruin families because when texting and driving there is a higher chance of getting in a crash. There are only 2 percent of people who can actually multitask successfully. Even though teens are more likely to try multitasking they are still part of the 98 percent who can’t do it safely. For example, Nebraska teen Emily Reynolds says... ... middle of paper ... ... Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "One in Six Highway Deaths Tied to Distracted Driving." ABCNews.com 20 Sept. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Nelson, Tim. "Cultural Change Is Needed to Stop Teens from Texting While Driving."Distracted Driving. Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Teens, Traffic Officials Talk About Distracted Driving." Minnesota Public Radio. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. Svensson, Peter. "Smartphone Applications Designed to Curb Cell Phone Use Are Imperfect." Cell Phones and Driving. Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Rpt. from "Apps to Curb Texting While Driving Have Tough Task." Yahoo! News/Associated Press. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
As Americans have seen an increase in the amount of texting and driving, there have been several of the 50 states that have put laws in place to help try and put a reduction on the amount of fatalities. The devastating part about this kind of distraction is that nearly every person that owns a cell phone has picked it up at some point while they are driving to make a phone call or send a quick text. They have seen the commercials and they know the hurt that it has caused many families losing someone they love, but we still do it anyways. It’s so easy to tell yourself “It’s just one quick text, I will be fine.” At some point we need to realize this is not ok.
It’s a Friday afternoon and you’re driving to the grocery store after work to pick up a pizza to eat later for dinner. All of your weekend plans are on your mind as you make a right turn. You hear your phone go off and quickly unlock your phone to see what plans are happening tonight. Little do you know you won’t have any plans for this weekend because the text you are about to send will end your life. This might sound harsh but this is exactly how all texting and driving stories go. Texting while driving causes a huge 1,600,000 accidents per year (Distracted Driving), and 11 teens die every day from these accidents. It’s highly likely that while you read this paper someone just got into an accident
According to Stephanie Hanes in the essay “Texting While Driving Is as Dangerous as Drunk Driving,” a driver on a phone and those talking on a phone are four times likely to crash. This statistic shows how dangerous using the phone or even texting is while driving. As technology has increased, so has the use of cellphone. Distracted driving has caused an increase in car fatalities and disasters. However, distracted driving can be prevented if drivers take precautions, but no matter what we do, trouble will always be spelling on the road.
The top two age groups that are involved in car accidents due to distracted driving are is aged twenty and under with 16% and ages 20-29 with 13% (paragraph 4). Some people may ask how many people actually use their phones while behind the wheel between all drivers, and at any time of the day across America, approximately over six hundred thousand drivers use their cell phone while driving, and that number has been growing and growing since 2010. Teens are more involved in distracted driving accidents than older people aged thirty and up. A study about teens and adults involved in distracted driving accidents displayed that teen drivers are FOUR times more likely to get into a fatal car accident due to distracted driving than an adult (paragraph 11). But everyone is the same when it comes to distracted driving. Many young drivers know the dangers of texting and driving, but just can’t stop it because they are addicted to their cell phones. “Nor is it possible to overestimate how addicted Americans are to their cellphones. In a Transportation Department survey released this week, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said talking on a handheld phone was "very or somewhat unsafe." Yet 77% reported answering calls while driving, and 41% said they made calls.” Some helpful tips to help you stop texting and
Texting while driving has been on the rise in the recent years, and we’ve all heard the sad and tragic consequences of the using a cell phone while driving. Many states have passed laws regarding the use of cell phones while driving and requiring the use of a hands-free device in your car. Some states have overwhelming fines per offense but some are just a minimal fee. Here’s the facts and figures of the effects of texting while driving.
When people hear their phone ding, they immediately have the urge to see what is going on. “Seventy-seven percent of teens say they are more than confident”, and they think they are able to safely text while driving. “Fifty-five percent of young adult drivers say it is really easy to text and drive”(stoptextsstopwrecks.org), and they do not understand why it is such a big problem to do so. Teenagers are not the only ones who take part in the act of texting and driving, many teens have said they see their parents do it. Studies show that “5 seconds is the minimal amount of time your attention is taken away from the road when you 're texting and driving”(DWI:Driving While Intexticated). Say a person is traveling at fifty-five miles per hour, the five seconds they take to look at their phone is equal to driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. If the driver in front of the texter comes to an emergency stop, and they are not paying attention, he or she will have caused an accident because they were paying attention to a phone. Texting while driving causes about 1,600,000 accidents and 330,000 injuries per year. The accidents, injuries, and deaths are all a result of someone feeling the need to take their focus off the road, and place it on seeing what their friend texted
Texting while driving makes a crash twenty three times more likely to happen (Texting While Driving Statistics). At any given moment, 660,000 drivers are using electronic devices while driving (Brooks). Most people say they would not drive while blindfolded, but when they text and drive it is the same thing. Someone going at sixty five miles per hour for only four to five seconds while driving is equivalent to covering the length of a football field, blindfolded (Brooks). But the problem is not only found in automobile drivers. Train engineers, bus drivers, and truck drivers are also part of the problem. There has been an incident where a train driver sent a dozen or so text messages while driving a train with passengers. He sent a text
How many of you, be honest, get distracted while driving? All of us at some point do. It’s no secret that distracted driving accidents are a serious problem. The roads are filled with drivers that are putting innocent people's lives in danger and at risk without even knowing it. Most of us think it could never happen to us, and that’s what I thought too. I personally have been in two car accidents because of someone texting while driving and someone talking on the phone, once causing major damage to my car and the driver just took off. Mostly everyone is looking at their phones these days at every stop light or while driving even though it is illegal to drive while using your phone. Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines
Texting and driving has become the new D.U.I meaning (driving under the influence) in society today is similar to driving under the influence. Both teenagers and adults have taken upon themselves to text while driving to possibly cause accidents and death. Prevention is a must texting and driving can cause death to society. Choosing to turn off your phone can prevent such tragedy. A study stated by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski stated that ‘’currently there is no national ban on texting or using a wireless phone while driving, but a number of states have passed laws banning texting or wireless phones or requiring hands-free use of wireless phones while driving.’’ Meaning it may be allowed but it is being used as a law to prevent possible accidents.
“BREAKING NEWS, yet another driver dies from the distraction of texting while driving”. These stories are constantly on the news and seem to be inevitable. Car accidents are the leading cause of teen deaths in the United States combining with inexperience and distractions, such as texting while driving. No state bans all cell phone use for all drivers. Driving and the technology we have today are not a good combination, and there are phone applications and devices to prevent this conflict. “Over 16,000 people die each year and with the increase of technology in people’s daily lives this number is only going to increase”. More and more people die each day from the effect of texting while driving, it is time for the United States government to take a stronger stand and regulate more laws to reduce this number.
In 2011, according to the website, Texting and Driving Safety, 23% of vehicle crashes were caused by the use of a cell phone. This translates to 1.3 million crashes in one year exclusively from cell phones. How do we lower this embarrassing statistic? Stop using your phone while you’re driving! That “LOL” is going to turn into “TTYL” really quick. There is no text or change of song on Pandora that is worth taking your life or someone else’s. Now, many people text and drive, but the root of the problem starts with the teen population. This is where the habit forms. Over 3000 teens die each year due to texting and driving and more than 50% of teens admit to texting and driving according to Safety TRW. Right here in Flagstaff is where we will
Samantha is on her way home from work, driving 55 mph, and her husband texts her to see if she can pick up some milk from the grocery store for supper. She grabs her phone and reads the message. She looks up at the road before she replies to him and she is head on with another car 10 feet away from her, she slams on the breaks and swerves to try to miss the car. She rolls her car three times, landing in the ditch, where the car is upside down. The gentlemen in the other car calls 911. Police, ambulance, and fire trucks show up at the scene. Samantha is pronounced dead at the scene. Her husband receives a call from the officer on the scene telling him his wife is dead. When you are behind the wheel and you get a text message, is it worth risking your life to answer that text immediately? Our society should really know the dangers of what can happen if you are texting behind the wheel; you are not only putting your life at risk, but all the other people on the road at the same time as you.
I declare myself independent of texting and driving. I am sending my thoughts to people who text while driving. These drivers are punishing citizens with numerous unnecessary car accidents. I see many people texting while driving when I am on the road. These risky people should understand the dangers of doing this activity. Careless drivers should be able to comprehend why I feel this way.
Everyday there are people who commute on streets and highways, they are trying to get to where they want to go. The biggest dilemma is ‘how’ they get to their destination not many of us pay attention, but 97% of us drive with distractions. The other percentages consists of six consequently dangerous ways, which include, texting, drinking, applying makeup, reading, eating, and arguing with others while behind the wheel. All of these are very hazardous, costly, and sadly deadly. Distracted drivers put lives in jeopardy everyday and if a ticket saves a life, then it would be worth it and hopefully make the person realize that the text can wait. Some may say that teenagers are the more prone to be distracted while behind the wheel but its not just them, everyday people are susceptible to this, moms, dads, businessmen, etc. it is irresponsible of any person not including, police officers who pull over and park their cruiser so they may use any device they have. Not every state has laws to prevent all forms of distractions behind the wheel. But there are a some laws that ban Driving while intoxicated and texting while in school zones. According to the CDC each day in the United States nine more people are killed then 1060 crashes are reported involving a distracted driver.” Several innocent drivers are put in unpredictable situations having to be surrounded by distracted drivers, we all have to drive for each other and it is especially harder when people are not paying attention to the road. The numbers of people being killed in crashes involving a distracted driver has increased and is expected to rise with the expansion of technology. Distracted driving can increase chances of a possible vehicle crash. There is no specific group that...
The use of handheld electronic devices is illegal while driving a car because other lives are put in danger. Cellphones should be abandoned while driving because it’s a big distracting. Also can cause significant problems, and protect the pedestrians. Even though you may be good at multitasking it’s a big distracting to text and drive.