Brooke Wieder
Mrs. Sampson
English 1
13 November 2015
Distracted Driving
Driving is something everyone does. It is something that teenagers look forward to. Something that parents dread coming because it shows that they are growing up. It is a mile marker that everyone reaches at some point in time. But, when it comes down to it, driving is one of the most serious things people do everyday, one mistake and everything could be over. The increase in technology has led to an increase in distracted driving, especially in teens or adolescence.
The amount of accidents caused by technology or other distractions is overwhelmingly great. Do people think about the aspect of texting and driving while buying a car? Some believe that you can just use hands-free
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devices but, “For drivers who are also talking on a hands-free cell phone, that could be the most dangerous thing they ever do on the road," said Dr. Tom Schweizer, a researcher at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.” This perfectly expresses how when an individual buys a car they use rationalized thinking when it comes to hands free technology but it is still not rational because you are still distracted when using the device. There is more to distracted driving than just texting, the use of any electronic device, including Ipods and GPS’s, and also distractions that do not have to do with electronics, including doing makeup or hair, or eating and drinking. Both types of distractions are dangerous and should not be done at anytime(“Texting While Driving”). Many accidents are caused by distracted drivers.
Just how many accidents have there been that people believe were caused by distractions. Some might be wondering how many accidents are actually caused by distracted driving, “Police say 80% of crashes are caused by some sort of distractions” (Watson). This means that every 4 out of every 5 car accidents are found to be generated by a distraction. While everyone has been distracted while driving at least one time in their lives, research shows that it is most common among teenagers. 34% of teens the age of 16-17 said that they have texted while driving, 48% said that they have been in a moving vehicle where the driver has used a phone (Texting While Driving). This information from the study conducted by the Pew Research Center, is just from one study about texting and driving. But, there are so many more that state just how serious distracted driving …show more content…
is. Some states have set up laws to help control some of these accidents.
Do they really work? The article “Texting, Driving, and the Law” states that, “Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia ban texting for all drivers on a statewide basis. All but four of these states—Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia—have primary enforcement of the texting ban. When a law has primary enforcement, a higher priority is assigned to the law and the police focus on enforcing the law. This means that a police officer is able to stop someone and cite him or her for an observed violation of the texting law; the officer doesn’t need any other reason to stop the driver. With secondary enforcement, an officer will normally enforce the law only if the driver also commits a primary enforcement offense, such as speeding” (“Texting, Driving, and the Law”). These laws could help keep the amount of accidents down, but the states should also think about other distractions that could contribute to the problem. Studies have shown that these bans have not helped. The amount of accidents and fatalities stay the same. There is also no proof that hands-free technology isn't any more safe than the hand-use of a cell phone (“Texting, Driving, and the Law”). Even with the laws, people still get away with the texting. Laws could get tougher and the amount of police out looking for these people could also increase, but it still wouldn't help if the people don't understand the importance of it.
The increase in
technology has led to an increase in distracted driving, especially in teens/adolescence.Texting and driving does not just affect one person, it affects everyone around them as well. This fact should help people realize that they are not just putting their life in danger. The only time you should text and drive is when what you have to say is more important than your very life. Work cited "Risks to Hands-Free Driving." New York Times 29 May 2015. Student Resources in Context. Web. 30 November 2015. "Texting, Driving, and the Law." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Student Resources in Context. Web. 18 November 2015. Watson, Frances. “Distracted driving causes a high number of accidents in Springfield.” KSPR 33. © 2015, Schurz Communications Inc., 31 July 2015. Web. November 10 2015.
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.
Annotated Bibliography: Should Texting and Driving Be Illegal? Abouk, R., & Adams, S. (2013). Texting bans and fatal accidents on roadways: do they work? Or do drivers just react to announcements of bans? American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 5(2), 179-199.
Texting and Driving has been a huge factor in accidents. More and more cities are starting to make cell phone use illegal to prevent many life threatening accidents. A phone call and text message can wait. You never know as drivers what the people are doing around you are doing unless you are watching your surroundings. The driver might be a really good driver and might be paying some attention to the road while you are on your phone but the road needs all of the drivers attention so that prevention of accidents is at its
Distracted driving is such an increasing problem in the U.S. that there are laws against driving distracted. In New Jersey there is a handheld ban for all drivers and that is a primary law. There is a ban on all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for novice drivers. There is also a ban on texting for all drivers. This problem Is growing, drivers who are texting are 23.2 times more likely to get into a crash than people who aren’t (Cell Phones and Texting). Every driver takes their eyes off the road for approximately 4.6 seconds when texting. Driving is a new skill for teens, so doing multiple things simultaneously takes more effort for them than for more experienced drivers. Texting and driving can ruin families because when texting and driving there is a higher chance of getting in a crash. There are only 2 percent of people who can actually multitask successfully. Even though teens are more likely to try multitasking they are still part of the 98 percent who can’t do it safely. For example, Nebraska teen Emily Reynolds says...
...fine. The sanctions rise for successive offenses as well, with the second violation calling for an amount in the region of $250 fine and the third and subsequent violations carrying $500 fines each. Violators are also disciplined ruthlessly if their actions result to an accident (Chretien n.p.). Some other states, such as California and Virginia have fines of $20 for breaking their texting while driving laws (“Texting While Driving Legislation”). Imposing only a fine of such low monetary value does not properly bear the significance of the crime or work strongly enough to discourage drivers from doing away with their phones putting their phones while driving. To unify evenly, the law should be enforced to deter texting while driving. The punishment for contravening the law should be constant throughout the country. The model used by Massachusetts should be embraced.
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...
Distracted driving something that is known too well, and can been seen on a day to day basis on the road. But what is the underlining cause, and biggest reason for the negative impact of distracted driving. The conversation addresses the issue of DD (distracted driving), convey that adults and teens need to educate themselves about distracted driving. To inform adults and teens, 3 main points will be addressed in this paper, what is counts as distracted driving, what is the culture of entitlement, and lastly address some data.
Distracted driving is something myself, as a driver, encounters everyday. From resisting to look at my phone, to seeing other people on the road using their phone and putting my life in danger. When I see people swerving because they’re distracted, it puts an image into my mind that I’ve heard too many stories about. People are dying because of a text, or a phone call, not to mention the plethora of other distractions on the road. I am declaring my independence from distracted driving because I care about my community, it could put me in harms way, and a life is way more important than a simple message.
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
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% ...
Each day in the United States, over 8 people are killed and 1,161 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver (Distracted Driving). There are a few different
It has long been thought that drunk driving was the leading cause of accidents, but the fact is distracted drivers, especially teens, actually cause more accidents. More teens are getting behind the wheel with too many distractions. Things such as cell phones, radios, makeup and even just friends in the car can cause a teen driver to lose focus of the road. According to the a study done by AAA, the top distraction was the use of electronic devices, next was things such as grooming and eating. The surprising find was that the use of electronic devices was found most often in older teens (Smith) and "besides using cell phones and other devices twice as often as teen boys, girls were nearly 10 percent more likely to become distracted while driving. The distractions included reaching for something (nearly 50 percent more likely to do this than the boys) and eating or drinking (nearly 25 percent more likely)." (Smith) Teens do not see...
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
First and foremost, the risk of using a phone while driving is a big chance of an accident more than what the people think. According to the Harvard study “Texting while driving and other forms of distracted driving are responsible for more than 1 million crashes, 400,000 injuries, and 3,000 deaths in the U.S. each year—and those numbers are likely to in...
“Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time,” said by Steven Wright. Teenagers look forward to their sixteenth birthday so they are able to drive. Everyone has felt that feeling where they can hardly wait to get behind the wheel and start driving. Little do people know teen drivers are more likely to die from a car accident than from a homicide, suicide, or cancer combined (Littlefield). They are mostly inexperienced with the road and how to handle distractions. If the age were moved to eighteen teenagers would have more driving experience (Sostarecz). Teenage drivers are extremely eager to drive because of freedom, but they are not aware of the distractions and peer pressure on the road; their experience of driving is not as well as others and statistics show how many deaths are caused due to teenage driving.