Pros And Cons Of Texting While Driving

Texting while driving has been largely debated over the years as the number of accidents related to this goes up and down. Now the question in debate is whether or not all cell phone use should be banned when driving. Most states have laws banning texting while driving, but it’s not taken seriously by police or drivers. Exactly how safe is that? In the article, “Ohio: Cell Phone Laws, Legislation” it states, “The Ohio distracted driving laws have two levels of enforcement: There is only secondary enforcement for adult drivers who text message” (“Ohio: Cell Phone Laws, Legislation”). With this being a secondary law, the only way an officer could pull them over would be if they were weaving in and out of lanes or doing something else illegal
Despite all the other distractions such as noisy kids and friends, none of them are a major threat. The truth is that when talking on the phone, holding it or using a hands-free device, drivers are not able to stay focused on the road. In his article, David Hosansky discusses the issue of distracted driving and states, “Drivers using cellphones are up to four times more likely to cause an accident” (406). One of my friends was driving home one night while talking on the phone because she thought she could multitask. She almost ran into another car from riding past a stop sign she didn’t see. After that night, she has not picked up her phone while driving. This may sound dramatic, and again there is a list of other distractions that contribute to the idea of distracted driving, but none of them will ever be as deadly as the use of a phone. One good thing is that there is a texting ban that is working. In the article, “The Danger in The Next Lane,” the author states, “In our survey of 1,003 people . . . 71 percent said they’d stopped or reduced texting, using a handheld phone, or operating a smartphone while driving in the previous year” (49). This article was written in 2013; one could only imagine how many drivers stopped using phones