“Each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,153 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver” (CDC). Advances in cell phone technology has made the generation we live in dependent upon them. Cell phones today are like mini computers so being distracted is not difficult at all, especially behind the wheel. What exactly is distracted driving? Most people believe that texting while driving is the only thing that is considered distracted driving. Anything that that takes your attention off the road while driving is classified as distracted driving. There are three types of distracted driving: visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distracted driving meaning taking your eyes off …show more content…
According to UAB researchers, “States that banned texting and used primary enforcement saw a 3 percent drop in deaths. That’s 19 lives saved per year.” Primary enforcement is when officers can cite someone for something directly, whereas secondary enforcement means officers have to have another reason to pull you over before they can issue a citation for texting. When there are not any rules to regulate what and how people do certain things then they will do whatever they want to do whenever they please. That goes for driving while distracted as well. The laws that are put in place for distracted driving, particularly texting while driving, have made people realize that it must be dangerous if they call it an illegal action. Even though the bans on texting while driving do not stop people from doing it completely, it establishes a sense of fear to know that a simple action can lead to something so …show more content…
It is illegal to text while driving in most U.S. states, but what does that change? “In fact, such bans are associated with a slight increase in the frequency of insurance claims filed under collision coverage for damage to vehicles in crashes” (HLDI). Many people associate the bans of cell phone usage while driving with the increase of moto accidents in the nation. People do not take the bans seriously because they do not think that it is a serious situation due to the fact that nothing has ever happened to them regarding the issue. The laws that have been passed and enforced should make for a decrease in some area of the problem but it seems as though things have only gotten worse. “Texting while driving may be very dangerous, but state laws banning the activity are not reducing the number of auto crashes, a new study claims” (ABC News). People have been texting while driving for years so it will take much more effort than banning it to make a substantial difference. Due to the fact that humans are somewhat rebellious by nature, typically teenagers, so they will go against a law just because it is a formal law. This is one reason why teenagers are blamed for most accidents when it comes to distracted drivers. Some states have laws that are just for a certain age group while others have them for everyone state-wide. "The
Studies also show drunk driving is actually statistically safer than texting and driving. In my observation as my family was traveling to Wisconsin, I put tallies on my notebook to record the results of passing drivers. The results were surprising in that 1 out of 8 kids and 1 out of 5 adults in passing cars were distracted while driving. These statistics are actually scary to me because I will never know which one will make a mistake when I am around them on the road. The negative effects this problem causes death and serious injury to themselves and others. It also effects the distracted drivers by placing others around them in harm. As more people text on the roads the drivers will get too familiar texting and driving. According to most statistics, that’s when most mistakes happen. Phone and car companies allow this behavior to happen simultaneously. Phone companies are making their product easier to be distracted, as the technology is addicting to use for the consumers. The notifications from the phone distract most humans from accomplishing their tasks. The phone pings or sounds and the driver looks down. Car companies are now installing Wi-Fi in the newest cars of our generation. The WI-FI is active for all passengers. The distraction element is also active for
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.”
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.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated about 9 people die every day in the U.S. due to a distracted driver. A distracted driver is someone who while driving, is being engaged in other activities such as texting, eating, and talking to the passenger. There are three different types of distractions while driving; visual distractions, manual distractions, and cognitive distractions. These types of distractions are very dangerous while driving and there are many things that can be done to prevent or control these distractions.
What is considered to be distracted driving in today’s world, is it just using devices or talking. Well in research article from BMC Public Health, “DD is an activity that can take a driver’s eyes off the road and divert his/her attention to something else”. Distracted driving includes but is not limited to using a mobile device, using a GPS, personal hygiene, talking to passengers, reading, even just adjusting the radio/stereo and list goes on and on. So how do adults and teen drivers classify these, well it is broken down in to 3 different parts. Visual, Manual, and Cognitive. Each equal having a negative effect on adult and teen drivers, cause them to become a DD. These three categories of DD, as found in Maclean’s Magazine, that each one has a certain effect on adult and teen drivers causing them to lose focus on the road in which makes them unaware of their surroundings. The Visual side is anything that cause the adult or teen driver to take their eyes off the road in which causing them to place their eyes on something else. The Manual side is in which the adult or teen driver takes his/hers hands off the wheel for something else in which takes control of motor vehicle away from driver.
Do they really work? The article “Texting, Driving, and the Law” states that, “Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia ban texting for all drivers on a statewide basis. All but four of these states—Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia—have primary enforcement of the texting ban. When a law has primary enforcement, a higher priority is assigned to the law and the police focus on enforcing the law. This means that a police officer is able to stop someone and cite him or her for an observed violation of the texting law; the officer doesn’t need any other reason to stop the driver. With secondary enforcement, an officer will normally enforce the law only if the driver also commits a primary enforcement offense, such as speeding” (“Texting, Driving, and the Law”). These laws could help keep the amount of accidents down, but the states should also think about other distractions that could contribute to the problem. Studies have shown that these bans have not helped. The amount of accidents and fatalities stay the same. There is also no proof that hands-free technology isn't any more safe than the hand-use of a cell phone (“Texting, Driving, and the Law”). Even with the laws, people still get away with the texting. Laws could get tougher and the amount of police out looking for these people could also increase, but it still wouldn't help if the people don't understand the importance of it.
Drivers in their 20s make up 27 percent of the distracted drivers in fatal crashes (NHTSA). In a class of 30 High School sophomores students between the ages of 15 and 16, will be in their twenties within 4-5 years. Within this short amount of time, that means that 8 of them will be responsible for a fatal car crash. If they survive the crash, they will face charges of irresponsible driving, if not something worse such as vehicular manslaughter which can result in up to 20 years in prison. This will affect them for the rest of their lives. But the answer lies not in stricter driving laws. The solution lies in educating motorists about the dangers and punishments of distracted driving. For example, a study was conducted using a driving simulator.
Have you ever been on a cell phone while driving or seen someone on his or her cell phone while driving? This is distracted driving at its finest. Whether you are looking at a text, changing radio stations, applying makeup, or anything else that takes your mind or eyes off the road is distracted driving. Distracted driving killed around 3,000 people in 2011 (Bauers). Car crashes are the leading cause of teenagers in the United States. If you don’t think you are distracted behind the wheel think again, many people think they aren’t distracted till something bad happens to them, like a crash, driving into a ditch, or running a red light and get a ticket for it. Distracted driving is a major problem and most people don’t know their distracted or what is a distraction to him or her.
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.
David Hosansky states that the use of cell phones and texting should not be allowed while driving. The increased uses of cell phones and texting while driving has become the center of safety conversations. In fact, there are more than 5,000 deaths related to the use of cell phones and texting while driving over the last decade. Even if laws were put in place it is believed that motorists would still find it hard to put down their phones down. Hosansky also gave an example on the hazards of texting while driving, especially among young drivers. There are very few states that have implemented laws restricting the use of cell phones or texting while driving. David Hosansky is a freelance writer in the Denver area. This article seems to have been written for the general public and thought to be informative. I found this especially helpful and informative in finding this is not just a local problem.
Research indicates that despite the common sense risks, few state laws specifically banning their use exist leading to the conclusion that this is a dangerous problem. While many states are moving towards straitening their existing laws or implementing “Distracted Driver” laws, the continued implications of allowing drivers to distract themselves is growing exponentially. For example, in the State of Maine, our legislature enacted a bill, which upon approval was added into law as Maine Title 29-A MRSA, § 2119 (Distracted). This law, which basically defined just texting as a distraction, did nothing towards curbing the use of major distractions while driving. Except for newly licensed, young drivers, there is no prohibition on cell phone use while driving in Maine; however, all Maine drivers are prohibited from texting while driving.
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
Kelsey Raffaele was driving home one day, when her car ran off the road and had hit a snow bank and spiraled into oncoming traffic. She then got T-boned by a SUV. She was rushed to the hospital where she died without even regaining consciousness. Police had recreated the scene with chalk and had thought to have been the causes from just a novice driver. Until they had found a cellphone in the back of the mangled car. Kelsey was actually on the phone while driving, and had crashed. The last words Kelsey got to say was “I’m Going to Crash” over the phone to a friend (Lowy). She is not the only one who uses cellular devices and drives, she was just one of the few who did and got in an accident. There is more than just texting, there’s GPS, radios, Mp3 players and another big one is other passengers. Distracted driving is getting easier for you to do and for more than one reason, there’s the new technology that keeps coming out keeping our eyes from the road, texting is probably the worst distraction and passengers really help lead to car accidents.
Distracted driving happens when a driver fails to pay attention only to driving and has their attention diverted by doing other activities.
The main distraction of driving is cell phones. Most adults and teens will engage in texting and driving. Due to the major issue of texting and driving many campaigns have been launched, one being launched by AT&T “when it comes to texting and driving, it can wait.” This campaign has many drivers take the pledge to no longer use their phone when driving, there is an available app that will send out automatic messages to anybody that sends a while the individual is driving. When someone is driving at the rate of 55 miles per hour for only 4.6 seconds, it will equal the length of a football field, 100 yards. So, even stopping full vision from the road for a few seconds will still risk serious danger. Another cause of distracted driving is being exhausted or tired, doing so will cause a much slower reaction time. The slower reaction time causes many of the accidents that happen when people are tired. Another possibility is falling asleep behind the wheel even for a few seconds you could drift, or swerv into another lane and hit another car causing a major or fatal car accident. When taking driving classes, the students within the class will hear the saying “stay alert, stay alive.” The final major distraction of driving is eating and drinking. One of the problems of eating and drinking while driving is that it causes both a visual and manual distraction. When removing your eyes from the road many dangers will be