Distracted Driving Essay

1350 Words3 Pages

Distracted Driving Distracted driving: the practice of driving a motor vehicle while engaged in another activity. Anything besides focusing on the road can be considered distracted driving. Most people would think that the only real distraction while driving is the use of a cell phone, however, that is entirely untrue. There are people that give the term, distracted driving, a whole new meaning. People do everything from fixing their makeup to shaving while driving in their cars. Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car crashes in the United States. 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 …show more content…

A driver is constantly fighting distractions while behind the wheel. Manual distraction is the act of physically taking your hands off of the wheel. This can happen while eating or interacting with other passengers. According to a Lytx study in 2014, a driver who is drinking or eating is 3.6 times more likely to be in an automobile crash than attentive drivers who are not eating or drinking while driving (Eating While Driving). You are less likely to react as quickly when you have a burger in your hand than if you are completely focused. What’s more important? The cheeseburger, or your life? There is currently no law against eating while driving, but there sure should be. Eating not only causes manual distraction, but also visual distraction. While looking down at your food visualizing the next bite, your eyes are off the road. This means more traveling without looking at the road. If a child or animal runs in front of the vehicle there is no way of avoiding …show more content…

This of course, will never be the case. Certain laws have been passed to help reduce the amount of accidents such as the hands-free law prohibiting people under 18 years of age, from being able to talk on the phone using a hands-free device. The main goal of the government regarding distracted driving is to make sure that all citizens are safe. Even through distraction is inevitable while driving, we should all do our part to maintain our focus to keep the roads as safe as possible. Everything could go from perfect to complete horror in a split second. Practice safe driving habits at all times, especially in front of others in order to set a good example. Together we can do our part to stop distraction on the roads and minimize the amount of crashes due to

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