Even though it is difficult to enforce, texting while driving should be made illegal nationwide due to an increased risk of being involved in an accident and diverts attention from driving. With the substantial advancement in communication technologies, cell phones have become an important part of national culture and are being used every day by people of nearly all ages. They are utilized during dinners, watching television, school, walking and more significantly, driving. Although drunk driving, not wearing seat belts, and speeding are still prevalent issues across the globe, the usage of mobile phones are increasingly receiving attention in regards to their effect on driving performance and road safety (Benedetto, Calvi, and D’Amico.) They …show more content…
Distractions are one of many things that can be the catalyst of a car accident, and when there are accidents, there are possibilities of injuries, damages, and even death. Driving already puts people in risky situations because handling a car is a machine, it is not a bike, which means there are more safety precautions to be taken and requires a focused mind to operate such vehicle. Adding a phone, a device one might be addicted to, to driving is a recipe for tragedy. Not only will the driver be risking his or her own life, but he or she is also jeopardizing the passengers, if any, as well as the people who are outside of the car. “The human brain just isn’t capable of doing several things at once and giving full attention to all of them,” says D’Arcy Lyness, an adolescent psychologist (Bratsis.) Research discloses the amount of concentration required for driving safely makes texting safely simultaneously unfeasible (Bratsis.) When it comes to texting, it requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the driver, which is why it is considered the most life threatening distraction (NHTSA.) In 2011, at least 23 percent of car collisions, which is 1.3 million crashes, involved the use of a cell phone (Texting and Driving.) Texting while driving makes a driver twenty-three times more likely to crash and when answering a text, it diverts …show more content…
A few years ago, the Ad Council decided to work with the office of the State Attorneys General and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to create a campaign targeting young adult drivers to express the possible repercussions they could encounter, while engaging in a seemingly harmless act. The campaign has developed Public Service Advertising to be implemented into television, the internet, radio and even within social media networks to further spread the issue, ultimately influencing people to their website to learn techniques to rid the daring behavior. AT&T has recently released a campaign as well and address the issue through multiple ways, but one form of tactic includes a pledge on their “It Can Wait” website allowing people to make a commitment to never text and drive, while holding themselves accountable to a loved one (It Can Wait.) Documentaries and national television commercials have also been released by AT&T to showcase how vital and serious of an issue this is by using actual stories of those whose lives have been severely altered (It Can Wait.) As everyone may be familiar with the saying, “there’s an app for that,” AT&T actually offers a free mobile application for Android and Blackberry called, DriveMode. This app allows users to create an auto-reply message that notifies the people who send a text message, call
One day Chandler Gerber 23, of Bluffton collided with an Amish buggy back in April of 2012. A three year old boy and a five year old girl were killed. A 17 year old boy who was in critical condition died several days later. Chandler was sending a text that said “ I love you” to his wife when he caused the accident. Drivers who were texting were 23.2 times more likely to crash to those who weren’t texting (Cell Phones and Texting). The increasing amount of crashes caused from texting and driving and growing and becoming more of a problem. Distracted driving is an increasing problem in the United States resulting in many accidents, but a solution to the problem would be banning cellphones while driving.
Car crashes due to texting while driving is a widespread epidemic that has taken our nation by storm for more than a decade ago. People may think they can safely write text messages on their phone while driving, or just do not think there is any real risk in the act does not matter. Texting while driving must be done away with at all costs. To achieve this fit, our government must take action by adding uniformity to the laws and impose punishments on the offenders. Similarly, it is also important that the government provides sufficient educational programs. This will help spread the message about the dangers of tapping the phone’s keyboard while behind the wheel.
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
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
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
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...
Teenagers and adults day after day suffer from the wrath of texting and driving. The National Highway Traffic Administration reported that in “2010, texting and driving was the cause of eighteen percent of all fatal crashes with 3,092 people killed. Texting and driving also resulted in crashes that cause 416,000 people being wounded” (Par. 6). Cell phone use in cars starts to become an issue when the number one driving distraction reported by teen and young adult drivers is texting and driving. Texting and driving is not only done by teenagers and young adults, but almost everyone in the United States texts messages. State governments, police officers and other officials need to make texting and driving illegal in all fifty
Every time you get behind the wheel you always got to ask yourself if a text is more important than ruining or even ending your life. So many people have lost their lives because they chose to text and drive. You can always put a text or call on hold till later but you cannot do that with your life. When choosing to text while driving you are not only putting your life in danger but also other people that may be in the car with you or around you. My paper is about texting while driving and I will discuss what my topic is over, the consequences that come along with it, and what is being done to stop people from texting while driving.
Ever since cellphones grew in existence and intelligence, people have become more engaged in texting. This is not adding the use of social media, which is also a means to deviate our attention off the road. It is a grave situation in which people can put themselves and others in danger. Texting and driving affects our reaction time, and it increases our insurance costs unbearably. For this reason, each state should pass texting-while-driving bans that apply to everyone, in order to deter reckless accidents and/or fatalities in the United States.
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% ...
Texting while driving should be illegal in every state due to many reasons of safety. A person 's life is far more valuable than any text message ever will be, no text message is worth the cost of risking the life of yourself and the life of others while behind a motorized vehicle. Being on the phone and texting while driving becomes more and more common on a day to day basis. Safety, well-being, and protection are all ways you can simply take care of yourself, but if you won’t take the time to do it no one will. Only you can help yourself when it comes to your safety and well-being, taking your eyes off of the road to look down, around or anywhere other than watching the road is putting not only yourself but others well at risk of an accident. Texting while driving can border your senses as a driver to not be able to respond when a car comes out of no where, or is even near you.
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
According to Ian Mulgrew, a journalist/author from Canada, many accidents are blamed on distracted driving and most of the distractions are caused by cell phone usage (Mulgrew). This shows that accidents are being caused by texting and driving. A majority of people have busy lives that leaves them to get things done while on the road. Texting or using a cell phone while driving is very hazardous to yourself and the people surrounding you. 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. When a
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).
This directly connects to how much teenagers, and even children, are obsessed with their phones. This have been exemplified from how many accidents are caused by texting while driving. Teens, and even adults, will say they are not looking away from the road for that long to send a quick text; however, the Edgar Snyder and Associates states that “answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field” (“Texting and Driving Accident Statistics,” 2015). But I feel as though texting and driving is a branch off of a even bigger issue, the fact that this generation is obsessed with their phones and the new technology. Texting and driving would not be such an enormous issue, if the obsession with phones and social media wasn’t so prevalent. A study by Teensafe revealed that “seventy-two percent of teens admit that they feel a sense of urgency to check notifications and respond to messages as soon as they come in” (Teensafe, 2016). This leads to the texting while driving problem, because they feel obligated to check their phone. The fact that, especially, teenagers cannot wait twenty minutes or so to drive somewhere to look at their phone. I have personally had the urge a couple times to check my phone while driving, but I realize how dangerous that is so I never