Texting While Driving: The Effects Of Driving While Text Messaging

722 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The use of a cell phone while driving

The Effects of Driving While Text Messaging

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.
Texting is a newer, shorter and very convenient method of sending messages back and forth between users on a cell phone. It is similar to email, but often using shorter messages to carry on a conversation between two or more people. Texting is fast and easy, …show more content…

Also stated directly from the NHTSA is that, texting while driving takes driver’s eyes off of the road for an “average of 4.6 seconds” which is equivalent of driving an entire football field blindfolded if you are travelling fifty five miles per hour. Fatalities from texting while driving is the leading cause of death in teenaged drivers, however, forty seven percent of adults admit that they also text while driving. In Professor Hanson’s article, a study indicates that seventy five percent of people agree that there should be restrictions on all ages of people that text while driving, not just teenagers. …show more content…

Car and Driver Magazine did a study on how long it takes to react and stop a car unimpaired, legally drunk, and responding to a text message. The study shows that the reaction times are increased while legally drunk, with a blood alcohol level of .08, and rises even further with texting. The article explains that text messaging is more dangerous than drunk driving because you are distracted in three ways instead of only two ways when under the influence of alcohol. While distracted by texting, you are distracted cognitively, unable to focus on your driving skills. You are also distracted visually by taking your eyes off of the road. Last but not least, you are distracted manually by taking your hands off of the wheel to send a text message. Manual distraction usually does not take place while driving under the influence. Teenagers are the highest population that texts while driving and eleven teens are killed each day. (Samakow)
Overall, studies show that teens are affected by these numbers more so than adults, but texting while driving is increasing in adults. Many of the studies show how texting while driving affects teens, but overall shows that texting while driving is highly dangerous for all people. Many people are killed or injured on a daily basis from texting

Show More
Related

  • Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving in Texas

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    Phones use while driving is one of the worst habits to have. Drivers who text while driving are twice as likely to crash than some who is drinking and driving (New Approaches to End Texting While Driving). Teenagers believe they are the best drivers and can multitask while driving. In order to text while driving you have to be looking at your phone. If you are looking phone you are not taking precaution to what in front of you. People think looking down for one second will not hurt. In one second anything could happen such as hitting someone or even running off the road. Other people ar...

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography Should Texting And Driving Be Illegal?

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    The New York Times. Results show that texting behind the wheel causes 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths a year. People who talk or text on the phone are just as impaired, or even more impaired, as a drunk driver. A study performed at the University of Utah, shows that the participants crashed when they were texting while driving, but when they were intoxicated, they did not crash. This shows that texting while driving takes your focus off of the road and into the conversation you are having on the phone.

    Read More

  • The Message That Kills: Texting While Driving

    614 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Fatality states that texting while driving causes nearly eleven teen deaths every day and 330,000 injuries per year. Almost 25 percent of all car accidents involve someone who was texting as they were driving; that is 1.3 million crashes. Texting while driving is the number one distraction for majority of drivers. Five seconds is the minimal amount of time a driver’s attention is taken from the road while using a cell phone. With that being said, if one is traveling at 55mph, five seconds is equal to driving the length of a football field without paying attention to the road.

    Read More

  • How To Prevent Distracted Driving

    838 Words  | 2 Pages

    All around the world, texting while driving has become an even more dangerous hazard than drinking while driving among teenagers and adults who openly acknowledge sending and reading text messages while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Texting while driving is arguably one of the most dangerous, selfish, and careless acts that a driver can take part in on the road today. According to Teens Against Distracted Driving, a study was done at the University of Utah that showed that while people are texting and driving, it reduces their attention level down to that of a person with an alcohol level of 0.08%, which is the legal limit to which someone can be

    Read More

  • And Driving: The Dangerous Psychology Of Texting While Driving

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ability to drive is one of the greatest privileges anyone is allowed to receive, and should not be taken for granted. Many people though do not take this into consideration, and will often fail to realize that their doing something wrong when they are driving. Texting while driving is one of the most common mistakes people do while driving, and is most responsible for many car collisions, and deaths. Over the years many people are now using their phones while driving, and many of those people are teenagers, that are just starting off driving.

    Read More

  • The Dangers Of Distracted Driving

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, texting while driving can cause a driver to be distracted. Texting by far is the most alarming distraction because it requires you full attention. It requires the driver

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Texting And Driving

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Teens should be the last group of people to break this law. “Texting while driving makes crashes 23 times more likely”. As drivers become more experienced and older texting while driving increases. For example, “24 percent of 16 year olds said they text and drive, as opposed to the 58 percent of 18 year olds that don’t”. In general teens text much more than adults while driving. As a matter of fact, “82 percent of drivers between the ages of 16 to 24 have admitted to reading a text message while driving”. Not only are teens unexperienced but are trying to pull off the nearly impossible task while driving. Texting while driving is leading cause of death among teenagers passing the death rate of drinking and driving. Studies show that if this trend continues, more than 3,000 teenagers will die next year. For example if a driver sends a 5 second text message while moving 55 mph it is equal to driving a whole football field lengt...

    Read More

  • Texting and Driving

    1795 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Texting and Driving

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    “It’s the number one killer of teens” (Clark, 2013). A war is waging on throughout the streets of America. Everyday people risk their lives by driving. The enemy? Texting while driving. It is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages while behind the wheels of a running vehicle. Driving under this influence is extremely careless and dangerous to others and is likely to cause accidents resulting in injuries or deaths. This problem is on the rise because the only ones with the power to make an impact against ending this war are law makers and law enforcement. The truth of the matter is law officials are losing the battle against people sending text messages while driving a car on the road. Law officials are mulling over the situation at hand, not doing enough to fight against the selfish crime. The laws regarding texting and driving are not fierce enough and law enforcement does not successfully apprehend the issue amongst drivers. “A Triple A study that found 9 out of 10 of its Arizona members want a texting and driving ban, but for the last 6 years, state lawmakers have rejected the bans” (Monier, 2013). Citizens desire more protection against this selfless crime, and more needs to be done. Law officials need to create laws regarding texting and driving including harsh penalties that would prove effective and then strictly enforce those laws on the streets because it is their sworn oath and duty to protect the citizens they represent from this unhandled danger.

    Read More

  • The Solution to Texting and Driving

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even though texting and driving is against the law, men and women of all ages are doing it on a regular basis. Statistically speaking, 23% of car accidents, which was about 1.3 million, involved cell phones in 2011 (“Texting and Driving..”). According to Edgar Snyder and Associates Law Firm out of Western Pennsylvania, “In 2011, 3,331 people were killed and 387,000 people were injured in accidents involving a distracted driver.” Along with those stats, and according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “texting and driving kills 11 teens each day” (“Texting and Cell Phone..”). These numbers show how fatally dangerous texting and driving can be. As mentioned earlier, it is illegal, so humans shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. However, if someone gets caught, they could be looking at a ticket costing about, 135 dollars, not including the additional base fine, surcharge and the law library fee (“Texting and Driving, Challenges..”). If a person chooses to text and drive and...

    Read More

  • Should Texting While Driving Be Illegal?

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    Does texting while driving is dangerous? Texting while driving might be common in the United States. However it’s illegal in most states since this situation is really dangerous for the driver and passengers. “Driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)”. To put it another way, I totally coincide with them, driving a car while texting is extremely dangerous, from the time when the driver using at least four to six seconds on the phone to text furthermore send which is taking the eyes off the road for a split of seconds and that can be a reason of an accident.

    Read More

  • Texting While Driving Persuasive Essay

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    Texting while driving is referred to as distracted driving. "Distracted driving continues to be the number one leading cause of car accidents in America. Talking on the phone, texting, eating, reading, grooming, and talking are just some of the ways drivers get distracted behind the wheel. Drivers who use a hand-held device are 4 times more likely to get into a car accident than drivers that pay attention to the road ahead. Individuals who text message while driving are 23 times more likely to get into an accident. Do not risk your safety or your life. Put everything down and pay attention to the road ahead. It is the single most important thing you can do today to reduce your risk of getting into a

    Read More

  • Texting And Driving Essay

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Texting While Driving

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Ian Mulgrew, a journalist/author from Canada, many accidents are blamed on distracted driving and most of the distractions are caused by cell phone usage (Mulgrew). This shows that accidents are being caused by texting and driving. A majority of people have busy lives that leaves them to get things done while on the road. Texting or using a cell phone while driving is very hazardous to yourself and the people surrounding you. Most people are against this action is because it causes many car accidents every year. Did you know that texting while driving is one of the longest eyes-off-the road time of distracted driving activities? According to DWI, text messaging makes a crash up to 23 times more likely. While other activities like, dialing, talking or listening or reaching for a device is less likely. While driving, adults and teenagers cannot resist the urge to pick up their cell phone and send a text or respond to one. When a

    Read More

  • Texting While Driving Should Be Made Illegal

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    An Adesman stated that, “A person who is texting can be as impaired as a driver who is legally drunk.” A car traveling at 55mph covers the length of a football field in five seconds. The average person who sends out text messages while driving spends on average about eight seconds of looking down at their phone. Approximately 10% of driving time is spent outside of their original lane, by drifting while texting. “There's a difference between driving and texting. When you’re driving your eyes have to be open and on the road watching the cars around you, road signs, and traffic lights. Along with your mind on the road and destination. Which means you are multitasking. When your texting your eyes are on your cell phone screen and key pad. Along with your mind on what you’re going to say next. So how can you do both?” This quote was written by Johnathan Anthony Burkett who wrote the story Neglected but Undefeated. The chances of getting into a car crash are increased four times more than those who are not distracted. Texting while driving involves manual, visual, and the mental ability of a driver which makes messaging while driving one of the worst distractions.

    Read More

More about Texting While Driving: The Effects Of Driving While Text Messaging

Open Document