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An essay on banning cell phones while driving
The problem of texting and driving
Texting while driving is the leading cause of crashes
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“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.
SMS texting began in 1985 and started to gain popularity in 1990, as soon as society was captivated by this new technology, texting and driving became an issue along with the lack of legislation and ability to control it. Law makers and law enforcement are re...
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...response to curb this dangerous activity. Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, 6, 233-259. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=2a4483c2-4ccf-465c-9068-9133dca91f8d@sessionmgr110&hid=105
Tribune Staff. (2013, October 1). Florida lawmakers need to toughen texting while driving law. The Tampa Tribune. Retrieved from http://tbo.com/list/news-opinion-editorials/florida-lawmakers-need-to-toughen-texting-while-driving-law-20131001/
Hansen-Bundy, B. (2013, November 2). Why texting-while-driving bans don't work. Mother Jones, Retrieved from http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/10/texting-while-driving-bans-dont-make-a-difference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2013, May 23).Distracted driving. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/
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.
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 owns 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 losing someone they love, but we still 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 ok.
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.
Car crashes due to texting while driving is a widespread epidemic that has taken our nation by storm for more than a decade ago. People may think they can safely write text messages on their phone while driving, or just do not think there is any real risk in the act does not matter. Texting while driving must be done away with at all costs. To achieve this fit, our government must take action by adding uniformity to the laws and impose punishments on the offenders. Similarly, it is also important that the government provides sufficient educational programs. This will help spread the message about the dangers of tapping the phone’s keyboard while behind the wheel.
It’s a Friday afternoon and you’re driving to the grocery store after work to pick up a pizza to eat later for dinner. All of your weekend plans are on your mind as you make a right turn. You hear your phone go off and quickly unlock your phone to see what plans are happening tonight. Little do you know you won’t have any plans for this weekend because the text you are about to send will end your life. This might sound harsh but this is exactly how all texting and driving stories go. Texting while driving causes a huge 1,600,000 accidents per year (Distracted Driving), and 11 teens die every day from these accidents. It’s highly likely that while you read this paper someone just got into an accident
The ability to drive is one of the greatest privileges anyone is allowed to receive, and should not be taken for granted. Many people though do not take this into consideration, and will often fail to realize that their doing something wrong when they are driving. Texting while driving is one of the most common mistakes people do while driving, and is most responsible for many car collisions, and deaths. Over the years many people are now using their phones while driving, and many of those people are teenagers, that are just starting off driving.
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.
"Texting And Driving, Challenges Of Enforcement." CBS Minnesota. N.p., 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
In today’s society, texting and driving have become an issue. Many teens and adults, have formed a habit of using their cell phones while driving. Texting while driving can be very distracting, which can cause many accidents to happen. In trying to prevent this, new laws have been passed, making the use of cell phones while operating a car, illegal. However, too many people do not respect this law. People should stop getting distracted while driving because texting while driving is taking people’s attention on the road, accidents are getting higher and is comparable to drunk driving.
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
People are constantly fixated on their phones, checking social media and texting and they seem to have become accustom to doing this wherever they please, whether it be at dinner, at work or in the car. The use of a cell phone while driving is extremely dangerous and destructive to not only the driver, but also everyone driving around them. Every year, twenty one percent of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of using their cell phone while behind the wheel. This statistic is expected to grow as much as four percent every year. But, texting and driving is not just a problem among teen drivers. One-fifth of adult drivers in the United States also report sending text messages while driving (“Cell Phone & Texting Accidents”). To help fight this problem, the government needs much take a stronger stance and try to stand up against texting and driving to make the idea a bigger deal and implement harsher punishments, as well as stressing the damaging effects of texting and driving to children and teens early on in
Now that you know how texting and driving is affecting our nation, let’s talk about different ways to prevent it from causing deaths.