We live in a technology driven time when people multitask behind the wheel. The commute to and from work is a time many like to get caught up on emails or figure out plans for the day or weekend thought texting. The truth is that multitasking behind the wheel is very dangerous and could cost you your life. Text, emails, phone calls, makeup, breakfast; it all can wait! If you don’t make it home alive your weekend plans really won’t matter much anymore. We as a society need to all take responsibility when we are on the road and avoid the many temptations and distractions surrounding us. Distracted driving is dangerous plain and simple. Some may be willing to take the risk because they have never had an accident while behind the wheel. But it’s …show more content…
Many of us have probably seen these accidents in the news or even on the road and many of us are still guilty of texting and driving to spite the dangers. No text is worth your life! So why do people still text and drive and who needs to take responsibility for the problem. Most people know driving drunk is wrong and won’t do it yet they will pull out their cell phone while behind the wheel without even thinking twice about it. Texting and driving can be deadly yet so many of us are guilty of doing it. So who is really responsible for correcting the problem and bringing more public awareness about the dangers of texting behind the …show more content…
Teenagers don’t want to be inconvenient with having to wait to respond to their friends about the latest party or school event that’s coming up. Driving is just as good of time as any to text their best friends about the upcoming weekend or update their Facebook status in the mind of a young adult. Even though most teens know they shouldn’t text and drive many are guilty of doing it several times a day. An overwhelming 75% of teens even admit to text messaging while driving (“Distracted Driving,” 2016). Young drivers are more likely to get into an accident due to lack of experience than that of any other driver on the road. Add in texting to the mix it is a recipe for disaster. About 54% of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths occur on Friday, Saturday or Sunday – with Saturday being the deadliest day of the week for teens (Hosansky, 2012). Teenage motor vehicle fatalities are at the highest in the summer months. In some states there are no laws passed to make texting behind the wheel illegal and in others the fine is as little as $75. It saddens me that someone’s life can be worth as little as $75 and saving a little time each day. So if our lawmakers don’t see a real problem and our teens don’t want to recognize the risk, who else can take responsibility for this huge
Even if a driver reads the statistics of texting while driving, he or she will find a way to justify doing so. 77% of young adults are very or somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving and 55% of young drivers say that it’s easy to text while driving (“DWI” 1). These statistics are heartbreaking and unfortunate, because so many drivers don’t value the lives of passengers in their car or drivers on the road. While these teens may seem confident, it is still a dangerous problem. Since studies show that 10% of their driving time is spent outside of their lane (“DWI”
Distracted driving is such an increasing problem in the U.S. that there are laws against driving distracted. In New Jersey there is a handheld ban for all drivers and that is a primary law. There is a ban on all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for novice drivers. There is also a ban on texting for all drivers. This problem Is growing, drivers who are texting are 23.2 times more likely to get into a crash than people who aren’t (Cell Phones and Texting). Every driver takes their eyes off the road for approximately 4.6 seconds when texting. Driving is a new skill for teens, so doing multiple things simultaneously takes more effort for them than for more experienced drivers. Texting and driving can ruin families because when texting and driving there is a higher chance of getting in a crash. There are only 2 percent of people who can actually multitask successfully. Even though teens are more likely to try multitasking they are still part of the 98 percent who can’t do it safely. For example, Nebraska teen Emily Reynolds says...
In today’s day and age there are so many excuses for distracted driving. Lives are put at risk every time a distracted motorist is on the road, and deaths have increased by a substantial amount in the last ten years. On Thursday, April 26th, 2014 one woman’s bad judgement cost her life (Hastings, 1). Not only was she effected, but her friends and family assuredly felt a pain in their hearts. In the few seconds it took Courtney Ann Sanford to post a few words on Facebook, it was enough to distract her from the road and to drive across another lane and through a median straight into a Truck (Hastings, 1). She was immediately killed. Shortly before her Facebook post, she was sending selfies to her friends (Hastings, 3). This just goes to show
There are approximately 5,400 deaths per year that are linked to distracted driving, and thousands more were injured. (U.S. Department of Labor). Those fatalities are our neighbors, close friends, and even family. How can we prevent this from being so prominent? How can we make the roads a safe place to be again? These questions have many different answers, but many prove to be un-effective. I believe that the best and only way to resolve this issue is to implement tougher laws on cell-phone use in vehicles, and educate our youth to the best of our abilities on the dangers of distracted driving.
...fine. The sanctions rise for successive offenses as well, with the second violation calling for an amount in the region of $250 fine and the third and subsequent violations carrying $500 fines each. Violators are also disciplined ruthlessly if their actions result to an accident (Chretien n.p.). Some other states, such as California and Virginia have fines of $20 for breaking their texting while driving laws (“Texting While Driving Legislation”). Imposing only a fine of such low monetary value does not properly bear the significance of the crime or work strongly enough to discourage drivers from doing away with their phones putting their phones while driving. To unify evenly, the law should be enforced to deter texting while driving. The punishment for contravening the law should be constant throughout the country. The model used by Massachusetts should be embraced.
I find the fact that distracted driving has caused so many deaths exceedingly tragic, however it should not surprise me. Additionally I’m inclined to the view that this issue – unfortunately - has become a more controversial problem in proportion to earlier. I don’t think that there exists a specifically solution in relation to this problem – if so not yet - however I’m convinced that there eventually has to b...
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
To begin, anyone can be a distracted driver, regardless of age. Additionally, there are many things that take driver’s attention off the road, including:
One of the major cell phone companies AT&T, has had enormous success in launching its “It Can Wait” campaign.AT&T is using its campaign to show ttenagers the damaging effects of texting and driving and what it can do to everyone around. Texting and driving should be tied into the school systems learning guidelines as most teenagers think that texting and driving is not as big of a deal as it seems to be. In a study done by() results showed that thirteen percent of drivers age eighteen to twenty involved in car accidents admitted to being on their phones at the time of the crash. And seventy seven percent of teenagers say they are somewhat confident in that they can text and drive safely. This should be a a major eye opener to all members of society. The new generation has very little real world experience in how texting and driving can really affect them and their
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).
Across the country news papers from local news stories to national media are a buzz with broadcasts about the rise in texting while driving accidents. This increased activity has caused local and state governments to begin discussions on how they can address the latest epidemic.
Thousands of people lose their loved one’s lives or their own lives each year due to car accidents because of this growing issue. Many know about it and the consequences it has, but still do it. This activity, done without driving, can be enjoyed between friends, can past time, and millions do it every day. However, this activity isn’t drinking. It is texting and accounts for 1,600,000 accidents per year. Yet, the reparations for texting and driving are far less than those of drinking and driving. The laws set place don’t deter young drivers from participating in the dangerous activity while driving. Legislature, however, has a tough making new and stricter laws to prevent these accidents because of the sensitivity of the issue. Many fear legislature will cross the line between public safety and restricting the first amendment right of free
Texting and driving can increase the risk of killing people. Between 2014 and 2015, the amount of deadly car crashes increased by about seven percent. Many states, including Idaho, are banning talking on a cell phone while driving (“Texting while driving is costing us all”). Texting and talking while driving became such an issue, that Texas also passed a law, on September 1, 2017, stating that it is illegal to hold your phone up to your ear to call, and text, at all while driving. It is still legal to use a cell phone hands-free for things like GPS, talking on speaker, etc. Our families and friends are all at risk if our world continues to text and drive. In 2015, 6.3 billion car accidents were reported to police. Because, an estimated 542,000 drivers use their cell phones at any given point in the day, many of these accidents reported to police were probably due to the use of a phone:
(Texting and Driving Safety). 1 out of every 4 accidents in the US are caused because of it, and it leads to 1.6 million crashes each year (Texting and Driving Safety). These statistics show that texting and driving is a serious issue. Traveling at 55 mph and you take your eyes off of the road for two seconds, you are driving an equivalent length to a football field with your eyes off of the road (Texting and Driving Safety). Adults and children even text and drive past schools! If the parent of those children saw someone texting and driving in an area where their kid was, all hell would break loose. That parent would chasing you down and would freak out for putting their kid in danger. If any of us were parents, it would be the same reaction if someone was putting children in danger. It is well-known that many high school students text and drives often, although not all the time. One time he had a really important text to make to his father about his grandpa. He did not put anyone in danger by doing it, but anything can happen and anything can pop out in front of your car at any given time. Yes, the text may have been an emergency, but it still should not have been sent while operating the
I personally believe that texting and driving laws should be stricter. First, there are higher death rates than ever before due to this simple activity. 11 teens die every day as a result of texting and driving. That is ONLY teens. I can’t imagine how many more people die that aren’t teens. There is always some type of injury as a result of looking down at your phone. A driver is more likely to get into an accident while texting rather than a driver under influence of alcohol. Too many lives are taken because one person decided to take a glance at their cell phone.