By putting the blame on a single technology rather than on the bad choices made by individual drivers, where it belongs, LaHood is missing the mark. (Roff).” Drivers make a decision to use the phone while driving, not the technology. From this statement, banning cell phones is ridiculous based on the fact that there are other distractions that can take the driver’s eyes off the road. There are so many ways drivers are distracted besides using a cell phone. People easily look at the stores or restaurants that are on the side of the road which throws off their attention to the road.
Most people are against this action is because it causes many car accidents every year. Did you know that texting while driving is one of the longest eyes-off-the road time of distracted driving activities? According to DWI, text messaging makes a crash up to 23 times more likely. While other activities like, dialing, talking or listening or reaching for a device is less likely. While driving, adults and teenagers cannot resist the urge to pick up their cell phone and send a text or respond to one.
This also means not being able to use the phone to check the time or date. The steering wheel of a car is used most effectively when two hands are on the wheel. Talking on the phone does not allow two hands on the wheel. Therefore, the government should completely ban the use of cell phones while driving, which would not only decrease the number of traffic injuries and deaths, but will also make the road a safer place to drive. Additionally, it does not matter if the cell phone is held up to your ear or being used through a hands free device, it distracts your attention and does not allow you the alertness that driving
On the one hand, some motorists argue that they see this as a good way to move forward and to help improve safety on the road. On the other hand, other motorists argue that this bill is invading privacy and cannot be used to understand all the events of a crash. Also, this could have bias based on the race and gender of the persons of the car accident on who gets their phone searched. My own view is that having the textalyzer implemented into law would cause more problems than it would solve. As a victim of a car accident due to a man who was texting and driving, first hand I would not have seen any benefit to myself or the man who hit me.
It is simpler said than done, since many will not do it. Increasing police presence on area roads can deter individuals from using the phone while driving. Fines being enforced for those that talk on cell phones while driving. If drivers are pulled over by police and they are ticketed then they will likely be discouraged from talking and driving at the same time. Intervention and education about the hazards of talking and driving can be a deterrent as well.
About 421,000 people were hurt in a car crash involving a distracted driver during the year of 2012. Overall, to stop wrecks that engage in texting is to either let others text for you or wait until you have reached you designated place to text back. How has the cell phone ban law effect drivers’ behavior? Study show that people who talk on cell phones tend to be more unsafe drivers, says a new study from MIT that included a test drive. Studies also state that you can take the driver away from the cell phone but you cannot take the behavior away from the driver “www.news.sciencemag.org/2012/08/why-cellphone-bans-dont-work”.
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.
To be exact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “more than 15 people are killed and more than 1,200 people are injured in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver”. Victims of these preventable car accidents sustained some minor injuries but others suffer from permanent damage, or even die. My claim is that distracted driving is claiming the lives of more pedestrians and cyclists. I think that the law banning texting while driving is a great idea. Drivers that continuingly text or use their phone while driving are still putting those around them at risk.
In America, one of the biggest issues with today’s drivers is texting and driving. Half of the individuals included are barely old enough to drive. There have been far too many fatalities from distracted drivers. Individuals everywhere don’t see anything wrong with it, but they’re terribly mistaken. One in four car accidents are the result of texting and driving.
The Solution to Texting and Driving A major issue in today’s society is people will not voluntarily put down their phones, not even while driving. Texting and driving is the number one cause of teen driving accidents in America. Over 1.6 million accidents a year in the United States are caused from distracted driving (Snyder). In order to address the disturbing uptrend in accidents attributing to distracted driving, individual state legislators need to pass a state law making texting and driving illegal as well as mandating the addition of manufactured devices that will be able to disable the driver’s phone while the vehicle is in motion. Drivers who use their phone while driving create too many distractions for themselves and others,