Distracted Disaster

2354 Words5 Pages

A person suddenly feels a vibration in their pocket and instantly pulls out their cell phone to respond to the text. While looking down, they accidentally run into a pedestrian. After a simple apology, they continue on their way. Sometimes in life, “sorry” acts as a magic word that can mend everything, and then there are other times, “sorry” undoes nothing. Will “sorry” help when they crash their parent’s car because they needed to respond to a text message? What about when a driver kills someone’s child because they were having a conversation on the phone while driving and ran a stop sign? Or let’s say someone is driving under the influence of alcohol and suddenly look into their rear view mirror and see flashing lights and immediately pull over onto the shoulder of the road. The officer comes up to their window and he asks, “sir have you been drinking this evening” and they quickly respond “yes sir I have but I promise I will never do it again. I am truly sorry.” You think he is going to send that person on their way? “Sorry” cannot begin to fix most of the obstacles in life that stand in your way let alone prevent those things from happening. In 2011, more than 3,000 people were killed and 387,000 were injured in the U.S. in crashes involving a distracted driver. Distracted driving associated with American citizens has become extremely popular yet also extremely hazardous, which causes thousands of preventable casualties per year, therefore, drivers should be rewarded by insurance companies annually in order to prevent this type of driving. Distracted driving may seem like nothing out of the ordinary. Distracted driving has increasingly become a deadly threat to the safety of people traveling the roads. Jim P. Stimpson, Fernan... ... middle of paper ... ...tion: Talking While Driving Poses Dangers That People Seem Unable To See." Science News 184.4 ("The Danger In The Next Lane." Consumer Reports 78.6 (2013): 49. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2014.2013): 20. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. "Spain Not Keen On In-Car GPS." GPS World 18.3 (2007): 52. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. Stimpson, Jim P, Fernando A Wilson, and Robert L Muelleman. "Fatalities Of Pedestrians, Bicycle Riders, And Motorists Due To Distracted Driving Motor Vehicle Crashes In The U.S., 2005-2010." Public Health Reports (Washington, D.C.: 1974) 128.6 (2013): 436-442. MEDLINE with Full Text. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. "The Danger In The Next Lane." Consumer Reports 78.6 (2013): 49. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. “Wake Up To The Risks Of Drowsy Driving.” Consumer Reports 69.4 (2004): 23. MasterFILE Premier. Web 12 Jan. 2014

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