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Texting while driving research paper
The danger of texting and driving
The danger of texting and driving
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In 2014 the percentage of drivers visibly working a handheld device or sending a text message increased to 2.2 percent compared to the 1.7 percent in 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration traffic safety notes on Distraction.gov. A growing debate topic in the United States is whether or not texting and driving should be banned. While some people believe that it would be a law that cops would have difficulty enforcing because it is hard to recognize, others believe that by banning texting and driving people will accede to law due to moral values and the treacherous consequences of texting behind the wheel. Lawmakers in the United States should construct a federal law banning texting and driving because there are …show more content…
Radley Balko in his argumentative paper, “ Should Texting and Driving Be Banned? No.,” discloses that he believes America falls victim to TOBAL-itis, “there oughtta be a law.” Balko suggests that the United States feels the need to create a law for every little problem the country faces, but when it comes to texting and driving that is not the case. According to statistics from Distraction.Gov, 3,179 people were killed and 431,00 were critically injured in car crashes in 2014 in result of distracted driving. Injuries and deaths are nothing to joke about and are appropriate reasons for constructing a law banning texting and driving. Richtel also explains in his article that in Utah a driver who is caught texting behind the wheel can serve up three months in jail and owe a $750, which will also result in a misdemeanor on his or hers criminal record. Facing jail time and receiving a charge on your criminal record are serious consequences to texting and driving but nothing is more significant than the thousands of lives we lose each year to distracted
In the article “Should Text Messaging while Driving Be Banned? NO!” the author shares exceptionally valid points for his argument and I believe that outlawing texting while driving would prove to be disastrous. Radley Balko wrote this article to explain the appalling outcome of banning texting while driving, however, he does not advocate that everyone should look at their phones with glee while operating a motor vehicle. We must also promise ourselves to never let the glowing screens of our cellular devices captivate our attention or be more important than safely operating a motor vehicle.
This article shows both sides of the “Texting While Driving “debate. The article talks about how banning texting while driving could be a good thing. It states that countless of fatal car crashes have been caused by texting motorists. It also gives information on why banning texting while driving could be a bad thing mainly because it is a law that is hard to enforce. This article does a very good job of portraying both views. It is chock full of facts, quotes and studies that support each argument.
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.
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.
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.
Research indicates that despite the common sense risks, few state laws specifically banning their use exist leading to the conclusion that this is a dangerous problem. While many states are moving towards straitening their existing laws or implementing “Distracted Driver” laws, the continued implications of allowing drivers to distract themselves is growing exponentially. For example, in the State of Maine, our legislature enacted a bill, which upon approval was added into law as Maine Title 29-A MRSA, § 2119 (Distracted). This law, which basically defined just texting as a distraction, did nothing towards curbing the use of major distractions while driving. Except for newly licensed, young drivers, there is no prohibition on cell phone use while driving in Maine; however, all Maine drivers are prohibited from texting while driving.
...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.
Distracted driving is an issue that needs to be addressed. “When drivers who had an accident or near-accident due to distracted driving were asked, many said they would repeat the hazardous behavior” (Brody). Many states have enacted texting bans, but that does not seem to be enough. In survey conducted by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 67 percent of drivers surveyed admitted to talking on the phone while driving and 21 percent had been texted (Richtel). One solution might be to require drivers to stow devices such as cell phones. If driver seen with access to a distracting device a citation should be issue. When people are reprimanded with monetary losses, they tend to change their behavior. Multiple offenders should be subject to the loss of their driving privileges similar speeders. Common sense, with distraction laws, should come into play. It would seem arbitrary to give drivers tickets if their passengers were using any such devices like cell phones. If distracted driving laws existed, insurance compa...
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.
“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.
There is a current social issue that is killing many people today: texting and driving. It is very tempting to immediately check your phone when it notifies you when you receive a text message. Ignoring the sound of your phone while driving is very important for safe driving. It is not only affecting one person, it also affects the area or people around you. I believe texting and driving should be illegal because there has been many accidents due to this distraction.
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...
In 2005 in the UK 13 deaths and over 400 injuries were attributed to accidents where drivers were using cell phones, deaths which could have possibly been avoided. There are 4 main reasons for banning cell phones at the wheel:
Does texting while driving is dangerous? Texting while driving might be common in the United States. However it’s illegal in most states since this situation is really dangerous for the driver and passengers. “Driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)”. To put it another way, I totally coincide with them, driving a car while texting is extremely dangerous, from the time when the driver using at least four to six seconds on the phone to text furthermore send which is taking the eyes off the road for a split of seconds and that can be a reason of an accident.