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The dangers of using cell phone while you are driving
dangers of distracted driving essay
dangers of distracted driving essay
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Drive a Car Not a Cell While operating a vehicle, all cell phone usage should be illegal. Not only is it dangerous for the driver but it also dangerous for the other drivers on the road. Drivers on the road today have many disturbances that impact their driving skills. Necessary action needs to be taken to limit more major harm due to cell phone usage while driving today. (Word Count: 64) First and foremost, cell phone use while driving can be distracting to the driver. Some may say in today’s society, most people need to be in touch with others on cell phones. However, this need to be continuously informed on the social world is not a necessary quality to have while driving. ANSWERING THE OPPOSITION. Instead, drivers need to put down the phone and focus on the road. The Untied States government reports that eighty percent of total car collisions are linked to unfocused driving (“Multitasking Leads to Distracted Driving”). This overwhelming number sends a great message: driving needs to be taken more seriously. Even without using a cell phone, managing a vehicle can be difficult enough. Ray LaHood, the Secretary of Transportation of the US Department of Transportation, said, “Distracted driving is a menace to society. And it seems to be getting worse every year.” (qtd. in Hanes) REFERRING TO AUTHORITY. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than one million United States drivers having discussions on cellular devices at any point in time (“Cell Phone Use Distracts Drivers”). Therefore, this cannot only lead to interruptions while driving but also to taking the driver’s eyes off the road and risky driving. (Word Count: 195) In addition, the operator of the vehicle will have less control of the... ... middle of paper ... ...es. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Cell Phones and Driving." Corsicana Daily Sun 30 May 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. Mulgrew, Ian. "Cell Phone Use While Driving Needs Stiff Penalties." Cell Phones and Driving. Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Rpt. from "Ticket for Using a Cellphone While Driving Doesn't Go Far Enough." Vancouver Sun 9 Nov. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. "Multitasking Leads to Distracted Driving." Distracted Driving. Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Multitasking Mania and Distracted Driving." Edmunds.com. 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. "Pregnant Accident Victim Chelsey Murphy's Mom Wants to Create East Naples Park." Naples Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
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.
Several individuals need to be constantly sending messages to their friends and family members with the use of a cellphone while driving. More and more drivers have the urge to use their cell phones while driving. This dangerous mixture can result to be even deadly. “As one researcher concluded, a cellphone draws attention away from the routines that would provide a good representation of the driving environment” (qtd. in Seppa 3).
The several effects of distracted driving are deadly. Andrew Lavallee points out that “texting while driving is unsafe. Not only are a driver’s eyes off the road, one or both hands are off the wheel.” “We think it is incompatible with safe driving” (qtd. in Lavallee). “Study upon study showed that talking on a cellphone was far more dangerous than she’d realized – that a driver on a phone had the same reaction speed as someone legally intoxicated, that those talking on a phone behind the wheel are four times as likely to crash” (qtd. in Hanes). Stephanie Hanes also mentions that, “Unlike a conversation with a passenger, the electronic conversation takes a driver into a virtual space away from the road.” Subsequently, this causes severe problems and deadly
While it is true that laws do not stop one hundred percent of infractions, they serve as a great disincentive, and can greatly reduce the number of people who do text and drive. With less distracted driving there are fewer accidents, meaning fewer car repairs and hospital bills. Not only that, but it means that fewer people become injured and can even reduce the number of deaths. It is important, therefore, that laws be enacted to prohibit the use of cell phones while driving. Every automobile accident that a loved one of mine has experienced has been due to distracted driving. Whether it be friends or family, they all vividly recount a sense of distractedness from the other driver and anger at them for driving recklessly. With this in mind, it becomes more than just an issue of nationwide expenses, it is a personal worry of mine that I or someone I love will be seriously injured in an accident caused by cell phone use. Especially considering that nearly all of my friends have now gotten their licenses and are on the roads, I want them to be as safe as possible. Laws prohibiting cell phone use and distracted driving are therefore very important to me, as they are just one of the necessary steps that our country must take in order to reduce the number of accidents and increase safety
One simple text message could ruin your future, the life of your loved ones, or even a complete stranger in a matter of a moment. As the popularity of technology, social media, and cellphones increases, so does distracted driving. In 2016, many people believe texting and driving is a quick and convenient way to communicate, but don’t realize the dangers it involves, especially when done behind the wheel. The increased number of car accidents over the last several years is heavily linked to texting while driving, and it is important to spread awareness so the likelihood that this will happen will decrease. There are many different perspectives on using cell phones and other tech devices while driving, and each of the following articles provides an argument that is supported with
Most people think of someone using their cell phone while driving when they hear distracted driving, but it it much more than that. Distracted driving is when someone who is behind the wheel get distracted by either taking their hands off the wheel or take their mind of driving, which can cause them to get into an accident (paragraph 2). Distracted driving is broken down into three main parts, manual distractions which is taking your hands off the steering wheel, visual distractions which is taking your center of attention off the road and cognitive distraction which is when your mind is not focused on driving and just starts drifting away (paragraph 3). Cell phone use is easily the biggest cause of distracted driving compared to eating, talking, and others because using your cell phone requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the person behind the wheel and in a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, the amount of people who break the law and use a handheld device behind the wheel increases every single year. An estimated amount of more than, six hundred thousand people use their phone while driving. Distracted driving has quickly risen and developed in the past few years and is becoming an enormous problem. In a recent study, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showed statistics of approximately three thousand, one hundred fifty
The cell phone however, while convenient, will often lead to many hazardous accidents and sometimes deaths. While most will admit using a cell phone while driving is dangerous, many still do it. Distracted driving as a whole should been seen as a violent act of selfishness closely related to murderous intent. The use of a cell phone behind the wheel is just like being drunk behind the wheel so it is easy to imagine thousands of people driving throughout the day “drunk”. David L. Strayer, Professor at the University of Utah in Cognition and Neural Science, reveals in his research “A Comparison of the Cell Phone Driver and the Drunk Driver” that “people who drive while talking on their cell phones are as impaired as drunk drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 %”(Strayer). With this in mind it is no wonder Distracted driving is a common factor in collisions. This can be understood in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s article, “NHTSA Policy and FAQs on Cellular Phone Use While Driving”. In the article, the NHTSA concedes that “driving distractions, including the use of cell phones, contribute to 25% of all traffic crashes” (NHTSA.gov). The reader should keep in mind that distracted driving is closely related to cell phone
It’s time to have an honest look into using phones while we drive. We don't understand why we continue the behavior, and it’s killing us. Distracted driving is leaving tragedy behind on American roadways while there is more likelihood of meeting a “texter’ than to meet an intoxicated driver. Accidents occur when people talk on cellphones or send text messages while driving. According to an article published by the CDC “Injury Prevention and Control: Motor vehicle Safety” “Some activities—such as texting—take the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods than any other distractions.” The CDC reports that younger, inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 may be at increased risk; they have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. There is a lot of media about teen drivers texting, emailing and using popular social media while driving Distracted driving is far from just a teen issue, there is no age limit on this growing epidemic. Looking down at a phone for just mere seconds while driving at highway speeds is the same as driving the distance of a football field without eyes on the road and what's taking place around you. Multitasking is often encouraged in many things we do, however when it comes to operating a motor vehicle, multitasking shouldn't be an option. While laws and programs have helped and have risen awareness to the problem people find ways to cheat the system. The technology world is working hard on devices that jam cell phones while a motor vehicle is in operation. Technology will be our only chance at reducing the injury and death from our ever so popular cellular devices. Technology brought us here and now its up to technology to reevaluate and change...
There is a high percentage of people that spend a majority of their day sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle. Whether it is commuting to work, taking the kids to school, running errands, or simply going out to eat one may feel that their car has become a second home. With so much time spent behind the wheel, drivers become comfortable and incorporate distracting activities while trying to remain focused on the road. Our inability to put our cell phones away while driving is inexcusable. Drivers who choose to use mobile devices are endangering people’s lives and property with associated risks that are not acceptable. No one distracted driver is better than the next. Do to rising accidents
The act of driving itself already demands a great amount of focus and concentration from the driver. Adding a cell phone to the picture introduces additional challenges for the brain. Researchers at Monash University's Accident Research Centre have shown that multi-tasking between driving and text messaging increases the mental workload causing higher levels of stress and frustration . For instance, stress is heightened when shifting from driving on a local route to entering a highway or vice versa. Using a phone (checking a text message, posting a Facebook status) contributes to increasing the complexity of the task at hand. This exhausts the brain, weakens the operator’s driving abilities, and compromises th...
The use of cell phones while a vehicle in motion should be banned throughout the United States. Texting, searching the internet, talking on the phone is a very big distraction, and could cause someone to get hurt or even worse; killed and the current teenage generation thinks talking on a cellphone while driving is second nature. It’s a known fact that the use of cell phones while driving can be deadly. It only takes one split second for a person to look away from the road to cause an accident. So-called distracted driving crashes claimed 5,474 lives and led to 448,000 injuries across the country last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA]. (Mayerowitz, Scott, and Lisa Stark. par. 4)Yet people continue to talk, text and browse the internet while operating a motor vehicle.
The number of cell phone users has grown drastically in recent years. In fact, many people have become so fond of these devices that they use their phones even while they should be directing their attention at the road. Based on a 2005 study conducted with Australian motorists, drivers who play around with their cell phones are four times more likely to become involved in a serious accident than those that were not distracted by a phone (“Cell Phone Use Distracts Drivers”). Obviously, then, people are jeopardizing their own well-being as well as the safety of others when they choose to drive while on the cell phone. With so many people owning cell phones these days, society can no longer ignore this problem, and people must act to address this
The use of cellphones has become more popular with every passing year, causing many people to become physically and emotionally attached to their cellphones. American society today is constantly on the phone, from texting, to calling, to surfing the web, to even taking pictures; people seem to never put their phones down. Since the use of cells phones is skyrocketing, it has brought up an issue that the use of these devices while behind the wheel increases accidents (Hahn and Preiger par. 1). People don’t realize how distracting a cellphone can really be. Distracted driving is defined as, “driving a vehicle while engaging in an activity that has the potential to distract the driver from the task of driving”(dictionary. reference.com). Almost everyone owns a cellphone today, causing distracted driving to become a big issue (Driven to Distraction par. 1). When a driver is distracted from driving they are unaware of the things happening in their driving environment. Using a cellphone while driving causes drivers to become distracted from driving physically, visually, cognitively and from their auditory senses.
Over the past two decades the use of cell phones has grown significantly and statistic from the past two years have proven that driving while on the phone or texting is becoming one of the leading causes of traffic accidents today. In 2011, a survey of more than 2800 American adults revealed that even thought they know that using a cell phone or texting while driving is distracting, they do it anyway, and teens surveyed admit that texting while driving is their number one distraction. "Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% ...
Cell phone use by motorist is dangerous and can cause accidents resulting in deaths and injuries. Furthermore, Nations and states should take the lead in outlawing this dangerous act. Prohibition of Cell phone use by motorists globally is the solution. Since a driver cannot concentrate fully on driving while making a phone call, he remains as impaired as someone who drives while intoxicated. In addition, imagine the risk one puts himself in when he is being driven by a drunk driver .This is the same risk that a motorist speaking on phone faces. If lawmakers are serious about addressing the increasing number of deaths related to motorists using cell phones. Hence, they should ban use of cell phone use by motorist.