The Risks of Distracted Drivers. When we hit the road today we often see many teenage drivers out of the roads, while holding a cell phone in their hands. Studies have shown that over the past 7 years drivers using cell phones and teenage drivers have suddenly increased. Ever since the sudden boost in phone popularity, and usage our roads have become, dangerous and life threatening. Now ever since the 2000’s our roads have filled with dangerous drivers who have led to road and car safety drops. Our roads weren’t always as bad as they sound now. Back in the mid to late 80’s, many drivers were older folks in their early 40’s. They never had the idea to use such a large phone in their cars. So when the end of the 20th century came near and the cellular phone idea …show more content…
Of course no distractions would come without risks. Death is the most obvious consequence in crashes. Most civilians who are found within a car wreck normally don’t make it, or have sustained extreme trauma. As for those pesky teens they experience bone or limb injury and the chance for death. Studies have shown us that the person causing the crash is less likely to actually sustain or take large amounts of damage. Most damage is done to the other person involved in the crash, as they are the ones being hit by the force and the “projectile” or car. These are what have led to over 30,000 deaths due to teenage distractions in 2013 (CDC). These crashes have numbers that are climbing at extreme rates and are now causing 45% of civilian deaths. Civilians are the ones who a teen’s distractions hurt the most. According to researchers the driver being impacted always sustains the most damage. This makes death 2x more likely for a civilian than the teen who caused it. Every 6/10 crashes has caused some a driver some sort of head trauma. This has included, high blood lose, and heavy blunt force trauma. All of which can be very fatal. Many drivers in their 20s makeup Owen,
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% ...
of crashes caused by distracted drivers in Utah, the leading cause of death in the teenage
Endersby -. Its not a question if teenagers are worse drivers than more responsible adults. According to a few researchers, a study in the 1990’s said crash-related deaths from sixteen and seventeen year olds were eighteen per 100,000 in New Jersey, and twenty-six per 100,000 in Connecticut. More than 5,000 teens in the U.S. die every year in car crashes. The National Highway Safety Administration said that the rate of crashes per mile driven for beginner drivers was almost ten times the rate of drivers thirty to fifty-nine.
According to the Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, "automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for those aged 3 to 33, with 43,005 (118 per day) Americans killed in 2002 alone" (Clayton, Helms, Simpson, 2006). Worldwide, vehicle accidents consist of 1.2 millions deaths per year, "behind only childhood infections and AIDS as cause of death amount people aged 5 to 30 years old" (Clayton., 2006). The annual cost of road accidents is estimated about $518 billion"(Factor, Yair, Mahalel, 2013). The fact alone of being in a moving, heavy vehicle is a danger in itself but individuals that do not wear their seat belts, talk on the phone, text, and do other distracting behavior also put themselves in even more harmful situations.
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.
According to national teen driving statistics, 16-year-olds, in particular, are 3 (three) times more likely to die in a crash than the average of all drivers, and they have higher crash rates than any other age group. In 2008; 81% of teenage crash deaths were passenger vehicle occupants, 31% of teenage drivers killed had been drinking alcohol, 55% were not buckled up, and 37% of male teenage drivers involved in fatalities were speeding. Teenagers who drink and drive have a greater risk of serious crashes than older drivers with equal blood alcohol concentrations. Teens do not wear seat/safety belts as much as adults. Teens tend to take more risks due to overconfidence in their abilities. These risks include: speeding, tailgating (driving too close to the vehicle in front), running red lights, violating traffic signals and signs, illegal turns, dangerous passing, and failure to yield to pedestrians.
I rear ended a car due to the action of distracted driving. Distractions while driving can include anything from the use of social media on a cellular phone, messing with a navigation system, brushing one's hair, speaking to the passengers, or eating a big mac. In my situation, I was toying with the music in my car. I was dissatisfied with the current song so I decided to switch it up. I was at a stoplight so at the time I thought it would be okay for me to change the song. But within the timespan of a blink of an eye, my foot went off the brake and I rear-ended the car in front of me. I was following the car way too closely so by the time I realized my foot had wavered I already made a mark on the car ahead of me. I wanted to fist bump to
Distracted driving: the practice of driving a motor vehicle while engaged in another activity. Anything besides focusing on the road can be considered distracted driving. Most people would think that the only real distraction while driving is the use of a cell phone, however, that is entirely untrue. There are people that give the term, distracted driving, a whole new meaning. People do everything from fixing their makeup to shaving while driving in their cars. Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car crashes in the United States.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. The reason teens are having the most high risk accidents is because of drinking and driving. In 2013 2,163 teens in United States
One of the reasons that make it hard to investigate the role of distraction in car crashes such as finding the credible
According to the CDC in 2015, 3,477 people were killed due to distracted driving to include cell phone use. Three thousand people lost their lives because you just had to reply to your friend whose house you were headed to anyway, and whom you will see in 10 to 15 minutes. The person who was just killed will never see their family again because you could not wait to send an email. The CDC conducted a survey where 31% of people ages that ranged from 18-64 read or sent a message while driving and 69% of people ranging in ages 18-64 admitted to talking while driving. Teens have the greatest cell phone use, which is very alarming because they are just learning to drive.
Sixteen-year-old drivers crash rate is three times as high of a 18 or 19-year-old. I agree that teens would most likely have crashes. Some teen are not responsible enough to be behind a wheel. Especially when there are friends in the car . They’re most likely to get distracted by their friends or their phones.
Teenagers are getting back on the roads and behind the wheel meaning the is a higher risk of accidents. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in 15-to 20-year olds. Automakers are creating ways to make their automobiles safer in order to reduce these deaths. Teenage drivers are inexperienced and need the extra protection to keep them safe if an incident was to occur. Automobile safety features are necessary for the teenage driver to stay protected and alert.
Car crashes alone are the number one killer of teens. Car crashes are high during a teens first year of driving because they haven't had as much practise . Knowing that fact , teens that are drunk driving ,there is 85% chance of them crashing . Most of theses crashes occur on the weekends because teens are most likely out at parties or out drinking with friends somewhere . Teens are most likely to get into vehicles of intoxicated drivers , putting themselves at risk just as much as the driver.
We are not certain if cell phones have a negative impact on driving safety. None of the experts dispute that finger dialing and hand-held phones momentarily distract drivers. The driver must have the ability to concentrate first and foremost on driving. Many argue that coffee mugs, CD players, radio-even car fax machines, and computers can cause equal or worse distractions for drivers. The question I how responsible is the individual behind the wheel. The risk of being involved in traffic accidents while using cell phones was nearly four times that of the average driver. Using a hands free phone is equally as hazardous as a normal cell phone. Also, it is hard to prove that using a cell phone is dangerous. Advances in technology have lad to voice recognition phones. These types of phones may be a helpful tool in making the roads safer. When the car phone first appeared, some police officials worried that drivers using them would not pay attention to the road and would get into accidents; In fact, the phones have slightly made roads safer. "The point," said Master Sgt. John Duley, of the Connecticut State Policy, "is to drive safely."