Texting While Driving

1941 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The danger of texting and driving

She was driving home late one night after a football game, her friends at her side when she got a text message. She thought about not checking it, but couldn’t wait until she got home. She picked up her phone and read the message. It was her boyfriend. “What are you up to?” Everything was fine and she hit reply and started a message back. Twelve characters into the message she was in the other lane and another vehicle was coming, a truck. Her friends screamed and she didn’t have time to swerve. Three days later a funeral was held for both of her friends and the other driver, her being the only survivor. Texting while driving is a serious danger not only to the driver but others alongside them on the road as well. It is vital for the state of Iowa to instate a law banning texting while driving even though it could seem difficult to enforce, because the risks it causes outweigh the need/want of convenience and cause the chances of crashing to increase significantly. Texting while driving leaves less than half of a persons attention on the road and puts not only the driver’s life at risk, but passengers and other drivers as well. The brain cannot handle the overload of responsibilities and information when a person tries to text and drive at the same time. If a person's eyes are on their phone, the activity from the part of their brain which will focus on driving straight and staying in the lane will decrease by more than one fourth ("Driving"). When a person looks away from the road while driving the highway speed limit of fifty-five miles per hour for just four and a half seconds, the average time to read a short text message, they have traveled over 100 yards practically blindfolded. Being preoccupied while driving is extreme... ... middle of paper ... ...legis.state.wi.us/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-02-2010.html>. "Texting While Driving: How Dangerous Is It? - Feature - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver." Car Reviews - 2010 Car Reviews at CARandDRIVER.com - Car Buying Resource. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. . "Texting-while-driving Bans Suggested to States by U.S. - Feb. 22, 2010." Business, Financial, Personal Finance News - CNNMoney.com. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. . "There's No Way to Enforce a Texting While Driving Ban - US News and World Report." US News & World Report - Breaking News, World News, Business News, and America's Best Colleges - USNews.com. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. . "Would a Law Banning Texting While Driving Be Enforceable? - Natick, Massachusetts - Natick Bulletin and Tab." WickedLocal.com Local News. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. .

Show More
Related

  • David Hosansky's Article On Two Sides Of Texting While Driving

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Texting While Driving.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.

    Read More

  • Excuses For Distracted Driving

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Americans have seen an increase in the amount of texting and driving, there have been several of the 50 states that have put laws in place to help try and put a reduction on the amount of fatalities. The devastating part about this kind of distraction is that nearly every person that owns a cell phone has picked it up at some point while they are driving to make a phone call or send a quick text. They have seen the commercials and they know the hurt that it has caused many families losing someone they love, but we still do it anyways. It’s so easy to tell yourself “It’s just one quick text, I will be fine.” At some point we need to realize this is not ok.

    Read More

  • The Message That Kills: Texting While Driving

    614 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Fatality states that texting while driving causes nearly eleven teen deaths every day and 330,000 injuries per year. Almost 25 percent of all car accidents involve someone who was texting as they were driving; that is 1.3 million crashes. Texting while driving is the number one distraction for majority of drivers. Five seconds is the minimal amount of time a driver’s attention is taken from the road while using a cell phone. With that being said, if one is traveling at 55mph, five seconds is equal to driving the length of a football field without paying attention to the road.

    Read More

  • Distracted Driving Analysis

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Stephanie Hanes in the essay “Texting While Driving Is as Dangerous as Drunk Driving,” a driver on a phone and those talking on a phone are four times likely to crash. This statistic shows how dangerous using the phone or even texting is while driving. As technology has increased, so has the use of cellphone. Distracted driving has caused an increase in car fatalities and disasters. However, distracted driving can be prevented if drivers take precautions, but no matter what we do, trouble will always be spelling on the road.

    Read More

  • Consequences of Texting behind the Wheel

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Distracted Driving Due to Cell Phones

    3204 Words  | 7 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Texting And Driving: The Consequences Of Distracted Driving

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    Texting and driving involves all three types so you can predict the outcome isn’t too much in our favor (Distracted Driving, 2015). According to the National Safety Council (NDC), the big myth today is that people are capable of multitasking, and even worse multitask while driving, but in fact, the human brain cannot do such a thing. People may be walking and chewing gum at the same time, but that is because those actions involve both a thinking task, and a non-thinking task. Driving and talking on the phone at the same time is risky though because it requires both to be used. Instead of attending to both actions simultaneously, the brain quickly shifts between two cognitive activities (The Great Multitasking, 2010). Taken from a new report from the NSC ,drivers that tend to talk on cell phones often enter a state of what is called “inattention blindness” and when this occurs, they may fail to see up to 50 percent of what is ahead of them (NSC Looks Inside, 2010). The United States Department of Transportation says, "text messaging while driving creates a crash risk 23 times higher than driving while not distracted,” (Distracted Driving, 2015). That makes driving

    Read More

  • Essay On Texting While Driving

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most of the drivers are likely to mix up driving and messaging from their cell phones while driving regardless of the laws standing on the issues, and danger posed to them. A majority of those drivers engaging in this act do not contemplate the possible detrimental effects from their actions. Research has indicated that texting while driving contributes to road accidents significantly. This situation is sufficiently bad to the extent that there are more accidents caused by messaging while driving than those caused by drunken driving (Fumento n.p.). From the foregoing statements, this essay seeks to support the laws, which outlaws texting while driving by highlighting how dangerous it is for drivers to massage while driving.

    Read More

  • Texting and Driving

    1795 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Texting and Driving

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    “It’s the number one killer of teens” (Clark, 2013). A war is waging on throughout the streets of America. Everyday people risk their lives by driving. The enemy? Texting while driving. It is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages while behind the wheels of a running vehicle. Driving under this influence is extremely careless and dangerous to others and is likely to cause accidents resulting in injuries or deaths. This problem is on the rise because the only ones with the power to make an impact against ending this war are law makers and law enforcement. The truth of the matter is law officials are losing the battle against people sending text messages while driving a car on the road. Law officials are mulling over the situation at hand, not doing enough to fight against the selfish crime. The laws regarding texting and driving are not fierce enough and law enforcement does not successfully apprehend the issue amongst drivers. “A Triple A study that found 9 out of 10 of its Arizona members want a texting and driving ban, but for the last 6 years, state lawmakers have rejected the bans” (Monier, 2013). Citizens desire more protection against this selfless crime, and more needs to be done. Law officials need to create laws regarding texting and driving including harsh penalties that would prove effective and then strictly enforce those laws on the streets because it is their sworn oath and duty to protect the citizens they represent from this unhandled danger.

    Read More

  • Texting While Driving Thesis Statement

    298 Words  | 1 Pages

    Thesis statement: Risks of texting while driving over the past few years has become a key topic for many Americans through the country. It has been the cause of numerous deaths and injuries and remains a vast disturbance for drivers. Hence driving is one of the greatest common causes of misfortunes on roads. This can result in, physical visual and cognitive distraction and significantly increases the amount of time a driver devotes not looking at the road. Therefore police officers should seize the phones of those who text and drive.

    Read More

  • Texting While Driving Persuasive Essay

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    Texting while driving is referred to as distracted driving. "Distracted driving continues to be the number one leading cause of car accidents in America. Talking on the phone, texting, eating, reading, grooming, and talking are just some of the ways drivers get distracted behind the wheel. Drivers who use a hand-held device are 4 times more likely to get into a car accident than drivers that pay attention to the road ahead. Individuals who text message while driving are 23 times more likely to get into an accident. Do not risk your safety or your life. Put everything down and pay attention to the road ahead. It is the single most important thing you can do today to reduce your risk of getting into a

    Read More

  • Texting And Driving Essay

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Texting While Driving

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the dangers of texting while driving at the same time is the attention it takes away from the road. A driver, who is focused on looking at their phone, is not paying enough attention to other cars or what is happening around them. Something as simple as a car stopping in front of them can cause serious damage to the driver and to the other car. “Texting” while driving is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages, email, or making other similar use of the internet on a mobile device while operating a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, truck, or train (Reuters). Many people and authorities have viewed it as a dangerous practice. It is on occasion like this, where familiarity with the road and surrounding will not make it easier for the driver to look at their cell phone. The probabilities of drivers texting on the cell phone and getting into accidents are only getting higher. Cell phone use while driving accounts for a major cause of

    Read More

  • Texting While Driving Should Be Made Illegal

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    An Adesman stated that, “A person who is texting can be as impaired as a driver who is legally drunk.” A car traveling at 55mph covers the length of a football field in five seconds. The average person who sends out text messages while driving spends on average about eight seconds of looking down at their phone. Approximately 10% of driving time is spent outside of their original lane, by drifting while texting. “There's a difference between driving and texting. When you’re driving your eyes have to be open and on the road watching the cars around you, road signs, and traffic lights. Along with your mind on the road and destination. Which means you are multitasking. When your texting your eyes are on your cell phone screen and key pad. Along with your mind on what you’re going to say next. So how can you do both?” This quote was written by Johnathan Anthony Burkett who wrote the story Neglected but Undefeated. The chances of getting into a car crash are increased four times more than those who are not distracted. Texting while driving involves manual, visual, and the mental ability of a driver which makes messaging while driving one of the worst distractions.

    Read More

More about Texting While Driving

Open Document