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The effects of cell phone use while driving
The effects of cell phone use while driving
The effects of cell phone use while driving
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We live in a technology driven time when people multitask behind the wheel. The commute to and from work is a time many like to get caught up on emails or figure out plans for the day or weekend thought texting. The truth is that multitasking behind the wheel is very dangerous and could cost you your life. Text, emails, phone calls, makeup, breakfast; it all can wait! If you don’t make it home alive your weekend plans really won’t matter much anymore. We as a society need to all take responsibility when we are on the road and avoid the many temptations and distractions surrounding us. Distracted driving is dangerous plain and simple. Some may be willing to take the risk because they have never had an accident while behind the wheel. But it’s …show more content…
Many of us have probably seen these accidents in the news or even on the road and many of us are still guilty of texting and driving to spite the dangers. No text is worth your life! So why do people still text and drive and who needs to take responsibility for the problem. Most people know driving drunk is wrong and won’t do it yet they will pull out their cell phone while behind the wheel without even thinking twice about it. Texting and driving can be deadly yet so many of us are guilty of doing it. So who is really responsible for correcting the problem and bringing more public awareness about the dangers of texting behind the …show more content…
Teenagers don’t want to be inconvenient with having to wait to respond to their friends about the latest party or school event that’s coming up. Driving is just as good of time as any to text their best friends about the upcoming weekend or update their Facebook status in the mind of a young adult. Even though most teens know they shouldn’t text and drive many are guilty of doing it several times a day. An overwhelming 75% of teens even admit to text messaging while driving (“Distracted Driving,” 2016). Young drivers are more likely to get into an accident due to lack of experience than that of any other driver on the road. Add in texting to the mix it is a recipe for disaster. About 54% of teenage motor vehicle crash deaths occur on Friday, Saturday or Sunday – with Saturday being the deadliest day of the week for teens (Hosansky, 2012). Teenage motor vehicle fatalities are at the highest in the summer months. In some states there are no laws passed to make texting behind the wheel illegal and in others the fine is as little as $75. It saddens me that someone’s life can be worth as little as $75 and saving a little time each day. So if our lawmakers don’t see a real problem and our teens don’t want to recognize the risk, who else can take responsibility for this huge
Jackson, Nancy Mann. ʺCell Phones and Texting Endanger Teen Drivers.ʺ Teen Driving. Ed. Michele Siuda Jacques. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from ʺDn't txt n drv: Why You Should Disconnect While Driving.ʺ Current Health Teens (Mar. 2011). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
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...
The cell phone provider known as AT&T has produced several commercials to show the dangers of texting and driving. These are designed to grab people’s attention and to touch them in a small place in there heart to the point that they no longer feel the need to pick up their phone in the car. They stress over and over the dangers of reading just one text. There have even been safety precautions placed in teens vehicles that record them as well as the road while they are driving to catch any of this distracted behavior. 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 has owned 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 loosing someone they love, but we still to 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
Texting while driving is national growing trend, and it is quickly becoming one of the country’s top killers. Most drivers think they can manage to text and drive and still stay safe on the roads; however, the numbers do not lie! According to the National Safety Council, 1,600,000 accidents per year are caused by someone who was texting and driving. Laws and penalties for this act are too lax, and tougher laws should be enforced.
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
...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.
Even if a driver reads the statistics of texting while driving, he or she will find a way to justify doing so. 77% of young adults are very or somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving and 55% of young drivers say that it’s easy to text while driving (“DWI” 1). These statistics are heartbreaking and unfortunate, because so many drivers don’t value the lives of passengers in their car or drivers on the road. While these teens may seem confident, it is still a dangerous problem. Since studies show that 10% of their driving time is spent outside of their lane (“DWI”
Even though texting and driving is against the law, men and women of all ages are doing it on a regular basis. Statistically speaking, 23% of car accidents, which was about 1.3 million, involved cell phones in 2011 (“Texting and Driving..”). According to Edgar Snyder and Associates Law Firm out of Western Pennsylvania, “In 2011, 3,331 people were killed and 387,000 people were injured in accidents involving a distracted driver.” Along with those stats, and according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “texting and driving kills 11 teens each day” (“Texting and Cell Phone..”). These numbers show how fatally dangerous texting and driving can be. As mentioned earlier, it is illegal, so humans shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. However, if someone gets caught, they could be looking at a ticket costing about, 135 dollars, not including the additional base fine, surcharge and the law library fee (“Texting and Driving, Challenges..”). If a person chooses to text and drive and...
A group of friends drive around town and the driver receives a text. The driver decides to answer the text,veers into the other lane and hits an oncoming car. In the last seven years, the number of teens texting while driving has risen . Researchers at Cohen Children's Medical Center New Hyde Park estimated 3,000 annual teen deaths nationwide from texting and 300,000 injuries (Ricks). This is more than the number of teens who drink and drive. In comparison, 2,700 teens die from drinking and driving. Because of texting and driving, there has been an increase car crashes, teen injuries and teen deaths.
Imagine driving and all of a sudden someone getting a text that they want to reply to just at the wrong time when they pass by a police. That police has the right to pull them over for breaking the law. One California policeman said that himself, along with the U.S. Department of Transportation, “issued more than 10,700 tickets for texting on a cell phone while driving in 2012” (Giancola). For a law that is capable of being followed, people just don’t seem to get it since so many other people are doing it, and getting ticketed at the least for about $135.00 in Minnesota. Furthermore, this distracted action is considered to be breaking the law, and breaking the law is just plain out wrong. According to the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) study, 73% of teens admit to texting or being on the phone while driving and most of them admitted that they know it is the wrong thing to do (Hanes). No one SHOULD be breaking the law even when sometimes it is easy to break. Especially the ones you can get away with most of the time like texting while driving. People should learn how to police themselves and realize that this law is in place for someone’s benefit and for the safety of all civilians. Teens and adults need to know that with a lawless society life would be chaotic, so having just this one law in place is good for having a safe and accident free
Across the country news papers from local news stories to national media are a buzz with broadcasts about the rise in texting while driving accidents. This increased activity has caused local and state governments to begin discussions on how they can address the latest epidemic.
Thousands of people lose their loved one’s lives or their own lives each year due to car accidents because of this growing issue. Many know about it and the consequences it has, but still do it. This activity, done without driving, can be enjoyed between friends, can past time, and millions do it every day. However, this activity isn’t drinking. It is texting and accounts for 1,600,000 accidents per year. Yet, the reparations for texting and driving are far less than those of drinking and driving. The laws set place don’t deter young drivers from participating in the dangerous activity while driving. Legislature, however, has a tough making new and stricter laws to prevent these accidents because of the sensitivity of the issue. Many fear legislature will cross the line between public safety and restricting the first amendment right of free
In 2015 alone, 218 of our fellow citizens died in car crashes (“Texting while driving is costing us all”). Car crashes have become part of our reality. Majority of our car crashes comes from being on a phone, tablet, or even an iPad or being distracted in some sort of way while driving, most likely texting. Texting and driving increases the risk of killing people and can cause insurance rates to increase significantly.
(Texting and Driving Safety). 1 out of every 4 accidents in the US are caused because of it, and it leads to 1.6 million crashes each year (Texting and Driving Safety). These statistics show that texting and driving is a serious issue. Traveling at 55 mph and you take your eyes off of the road for two seconds, you are driving an equivalent length to a football field with your eyes off of the road (Texting and Driving Safety). Adults and children even text and drive past schools! If the parent of those children saw someone texting and driving in an area where their kid was, all hell would break loose. That parent would chasing you down and would freak out for putting their kid in danger. If any of us were parents, it would be the same reaction if someone was putting children in danger. It is well-known that many high school students text and drives often, although not all the time. One time he had a really important text to make to his father about his grandpa. He did not put anyone in danger by doing it, but anything can happen and anything can pop out in front of your car at any given time. Yes, the text may have been an emergency, but it still should not have been sent while operating the
I personally believe that texting and driving laws should be stricter. First, there are higher death rates than ever before due to this simple activity. 11 teens die every day as a result of texting and driving. That is ONLY teens. I can’t imagine how many more people die that aren’t teens. There is always some type of injury as a result of looking down at your phone. A driver is more likely to get into an accident while texting rather than a driver under influence of alcohol. Too many lives are taken because one person decided to take a glance at their cell phone.