Everyday in our lives, people have to transport themselves from place to place. If you drive yourself to a certain destination, you, of course, have to keep an eye on the road ahead. This is the main source for safety on the road for a person operating a vehicle. But the safety of motorists has significantly decreased due to the evolution of technology. Technology has evolved rapidly over the past 20 years and many people who have motor vehicles have some sort of mobile device they connect to. While these mobile devices are good for communication, many people reduce their safety on the road by communicating with the outside world while they are driving. “Behaviors that are considered distracted driving include eating or drinking, talking with …show more content…
In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers (Facts and Statistics). Many people are over-confident in their abilities to text and drive but the risk is still the same for people who have died in car accidents. Also, many distracted drivers don’t realize how much distance they cover while looking down at their mobile device for a few seconds. “Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded” (Facts and Statistics). Nobody would want to drive on the road at the same time as someone driving over the length of a football field blindfolded. But in reality, that’s what we face each …show more content…
Bonnie Sesolak is an administrator for the National Motorists Association. She believes that having a mobile device is crucial for the road ahead. These days, many people rely on their mobile devices to get themselves from point A to point B. “How about finding yourself in the “wrong part of town?” Pulling over to get directions might not be a good idea. Your cell phone may be your only option” (Sesolak). Maps help us to our destination, but would you rather be next to someone who is on their phone looking up directions or someone who is lost in their direction but is paying full attention to the road? Also, Bonnie explains that people could be faced with possible emergencies while driving a car and having a phone is very important for communication with authorities or family members. “Perhaps there is a medical emergency, an accident, or you encounter a potential life threatening situation while driving” (Sesolak). Being involved in an emergency is very unlikely. There are so many emergencies each day that involves accidents due to distracted driving; the number of emergencies will decrease even more if mobile devices are banned from vehicles. People can have their mobile devices for an emergency, but they should not be used for other communicating purposes. This means
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
Several individuals need to be constantly sending messages to their friends and family members with the use of a cellphone while driving. More and more drivers have the urge to use their cell phones while driving. This dangerous mixture can result to be even deadly. “As one researcher concluded, a cellphone draws attention away from the routines that would provide a good representation of the driving environment” (qtd. in Seppa 3).
While driving down the turnpike do you ever see an auto before you that is swerving or accelerating and backing off? At that point you think to yourself, "I would prefer not to take after behind or be in the path right alongside them." So you accelerate, and beyond any doubt enough the driver is utilizing their mobile phone. Actually, I am certain you have. Mobile phone utilization while driving is not just disappointing for different drivers; it is exceptionally perilous to all drivers who are on the road. At the point when a driver is utilizing a mobile phone, it doesn 't make a difference what sort of individual they are, or what their age is, or their sexual orientation, accidents don 't demonstrate any
Most people think of someone using their cell phone while driving when they hear distracted driving, but it it much more than that. Distracted driving is when someone who is behind the wheel get distracted by either taking their hands off the wheel or take their mind of driving, which can cause them to get into an accident (paragraph 2). Distracted driving is broken down into three main parts, manual distractions which is taking your hands off the steering wheel, visual distractions which is taking your center of attention off the road and cognitive distraction which is when your mind is not focused on driving and just starts drifting away (paragraph 3). Cell phone use is easily the biggest cause of distracted driving compared to eating, talking, and others because using your cell phone requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the person behind the wheel and in a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, the amount of people who break the law and use a handheld device behind the wheel increases every single year. An estimated amount of more than, six hundred thousand people use their phone while driving. Distracted driving has quickly risen and developed in the past few years and is becoming an enormous problem. In a recent study, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showed statistics of approximately three thousand, one hundred fifty
Ever since the invention of the automobile, numerous efforts have been employed to try and improve its safety features. Judging by the current statistics, one could argue that driving has so far turned out to be a risky business. In actual fact, people of all ages and social status are considered to be in control of lethal weapons whenever they have to drive. According to the National Safety Council, it is estimated that more than 41,000 people lose their lives in road accidents annually and no less than 2 million more suffer from serious life threatening injuries (2009). Furthermore, it is estimated that at least 50% of the people killed in road accidents is as a result of their failure to adhere to safety measures such as wearing seatbelts while driving, driving under the influence, or careless driving (Ingalls, “Defensive Driving Strategies”). As an effect, huge losses occur with respect to life, injuries sustained, and damage to property.
Kelsey Raffaele was driving home one day, when her car ran off the road and had hit a snow bank and spiraled into oncoming traffic. She then got T-boned by a SUV. She was rushed to the hospital where she died without even regaining consciousness. Police had recreated the scene with chalk and had thought to have been the causes from just a novice driver. Until they had found a cellphone in the back of the mangled car. Kelsey was actually on the phone while driving, and had crashed. The last words Kelsey got to say was “I’m Going to Crash” over the phone to a friend (Lowy). She is not the only one who uses cellular devices and drives, she was just one of the few who did and got in an accident. There is more than just texting, there’s GPS, radios, Mp3 players and another big one is other passengers. Distracted driving is getting easier for you to do and for more than one reason, there’s the new technology that keeps coming out keeping our eyes from the road, texting is probably the worst distraction and passengers really help lead to car accidents.
The issue with driving today is that we all think we can do more then we’re capable.
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
The use of technology makes our daily tasks easier, such as a better sense of direction while driving via a GPS, safety features in our cars such as Auto Drive and Auto Park. These technologies have made driving an easier and enjoyable experience as well as reducing our chances of getting into accidents. The research presented in the following article “Driven to Distraction [in car technology]” provided surprising conclusions. Professor John D Lee from the University of Iowa states the following issue: “Technology is changing very quickly. Many of these things coming into the car were not designed to be used in it.”(Edwards 8). He proves that there are a lot of in car technologies in today’s society that can demand our full attention without us even knowing, and can lead to tremendous consequences that can become dangerous distractions on the road. Satellite navigation (GPS) makes our lives easier because it can give us the correct directions to a desired address. This is unlike the past where the navigationally challenged would consider it a nightmare to drive to a new location.
The extensive growth in the wireless communications industry over the past ten years has been accompanied by growing concern for the potential hazards of drivers using wireless devices in moving vehicles. Safety regulators are worried that talking on the cell phone is just another distraction that must be added to the list of distracting factors while driving such as the listening or adjusting the radio, looking in the mirror, or eating. In response to concerns voiced by some public officials and members of the general public, some legislations have been enacted and others have proposed.
Accidents involving distracted drivers by their cell phones and other electronics have become a bigger concern (Christopher A. Hart, 2015). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that one in ten of the 3,092 deaths in car accidents were caused by distractions from cell phones (Hart, 2015). The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommends that unless of an emergency, the United States should ban the use of personal devices when driving. (Hart, 2015).The U.S. should take more precautions to cell usages on the road. During any point in the day there are about 660,000 people that are trying to use their phone behind the wheel of a car (Texting and Driving Accident Statistics, n.d.).
Over the last few decades, the use of cell phones has become a very common tool. Furthermore, Technology has certainly advanced, and the cell phone is becoming the most preferred mode of communication. The demand for a cell phone is growing every day. In addition, the use of wireless technology is affordable, and anyone can buy a cell phone at a reasonable price. They come in all shapes and sizes. They range from black to bright metallic white. American public use of cell phones is increasing everyday. As the number of people using cell phones increase, the use of cell phones while driving will also increase on our streets and highways. At the same rate, motorists still converse on cell phones and write text messages while driving. Motorist will also engage in other activities apart from driving. For example, drivers will text when driving, and they will dial numbers. Drivers will receive calls and converse with the recipient for long periods. Again, driving demands your full attention, and your concentration needed when talking on the phone. However, it means that the driver has to divert his attention to the conversation, which leads to less concentration on the road. On the contrary, one can therefore connect motorist’s accidents and cell phone usage while driving.
What drivers don’t realize is that the risk of getting into an accident is 23 times more likely if text messaging, 2.8 times if dialling, 1.3 times if talking or listening and 1.4 times when reaching for a device and 13% of all drivers between the age of 18 to 20 years get into an accident due to any of these reasons. Many researchers are even saying that drunk driving may be “safer” that using phone while driving. Statistics show that texting while driving is 6 times more likely to cause an accident than drunken driving and increases the risk of accident by 4 which is equivalent to 3 to 4 beers before the drive. It is astonishing to know how many people still drive while using their cell phones even after they know all the effects of it. Using mobile devices while driving can cause minor, serious, or fatal injuries.
Although it is arguable that phone calls can cause a distraction and decrease the safety of a driver, if used responsibly and especially with bluetooth, cellphones can provide a safe and convenient way of communicating to others on the road. Finally, cellphones nowadays feature many driving apps that inform drivers with information they might find useful while driving. An example of this useful information is if there is an accident at a certain point on a highway, traffic routes and alternative routes to get places faster, and potholes
Road safety is one of the most important aspects of daily living. Our vehicle is our main transportation from one place to another. The number of car and motorcycle accidents seem to be increasing because of the many distractions, the lack of safety measures and judgment to road conditions and weather. Not being cautious increases the chances of not only injuring ourselves but hurting others as well. On the road, you see people talking on their cell phones or texting, eating, putting makeup on, changing the radio station, reading or using your GPS while driving. These are all distractions that endanger drivers, passengers and bystanders safety. Safe driving involves off-road precautionary measures such as making sure tires are properly inflated, testing windshield wipers, getting regular oil changes and tune-ups and adjusting the mirrors. All of these actions can help prevent an accident. Unfortunately, not all of us decide to wear our seat belts when driving or turn signal ligh...