Cause And Effects Of Texting And Driving

Texting and Driving has become a bigger and bigger dilemma. Many teens or people of all ages really, feel the rules don’t apply to them and they are the exception to the rule; that they are somehow untouchable and bulletproof to it all. Studies tell us differently though and show us all sorts of statistics and facts to prove otherwise. One might mistakenly believe that the offenders simply do not know much about the risks created by their behavior. Research indicates otherwise. Nearly all (94.2 percent) of those admitting to texting (or e-mailing) while driving agreed that it made them more likely to be in an accident. More troubling is the finding that more than half (54.9 percent) said it made them much more likely to have an accident. In

Texting and driving has become an issue in today’s world. Many teens and adults have a habit of using their cell phones while on the road. It is distracting and very easy to get into a car accident. One of the dangers of texting and driving at the same time is that it takes a lot of attention away from the road.

According to an AAA poll, “94% of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway” (“The Dangers of Driving and Talking on the Cellphone” ). Texting and driving is a major issue as cell phones are becoming more popular across the world. Primarly, cell phones provide numerous benefits to human life, but cellular usage is hazardous while on the road; the occupation of a cell phone while driving makes it more tempting to use which makes it a top cause of accidents. Many states now have laws against texting, talking on a cell phone, and other distractions while driving, but not all states. Messaging while driving puts the driver and passengers in danger, so the minimal text can wait. Cell phone usage while driving should be illegal worldwide, considering it causes, vital distraction, it demonstrates the negative impact on children, and it harms to the driver and others near around them.

It seems as if every day, the news airs a breaking news story about an accident caused by texting and driving, and later shows an organization commercial stating the statistics and advising not to use any devices while driving. Texting and driving can be even more harmful than driving under the influence because while on our phones we focus on what we are commenting and texting that of which takes away the full attention we should have on the road, causing harm to not only ourselves but also those around us or inside the car with us.

In today’s society texting and driving has become a treacherous habit. Drivers are constantly looking at their phones instead of having their eyes on the road. The likelihoods and risks of getting in a car accident if you are texting and driving are significantly higher. This specific cause of car accidents have caught the attention of the state as evidenced by the fact that they passed a law that made cell phone use during driving illegal. Despite this law people still take their risks and fall into their habit of texting and driving.

According to a recent statistic on textinganddrivingsafety.com, at least 23% of auto collisions were caused by cell phone use. 77% percent of young adults also noted they are very or somewhat confident that they can text while driving. In this day and age we are so connected to our cellular devices that we are unable to put them down, even while driving. Some will argue that texting is a great technological advancement to our society. Many people use texting daily to connect with friends, family, and colleagues. What we have failed to realize is that although this is a useful tool, we are teaching our young adults and children some potentially fatal bad habits. There are many things about texting that do not make it an advancement to our society.

“I think we should brake up.” You can imagine the dismay and horror of a teenager receiving this text from her boyfriend of almost a year. Not only was it the wrong form of the word “brake”, but it was also just through a screen. I was bitter and angry about it for some time. He had the audacity to not read over his text and to just end this long and meaningful relationship in a matter of seconds without even seeing my face. It was devastating to me, especially at this age where most couples think that they are the one couple that will end up being together forever. This is just one of the examples of the negative effects of texting. Even so, it is a common activity that we participate in every day, but we typically do not think about how much it is affecting us.

To start with we need to ask ourselves questions; the question is does texting while driving influence driving capabilities? I am very sure and comfortable that a quite larger number of people agree with me that texting while driving does not help us drive better or assist us not getting engaged in troubles during driving process. Some of the individuals argue that texting while texting is a small negative effect as far as driving skills are concerned. Their main argument lacks merits and doesn’t show any positive thing at all. “I can drive fine while text messaging,” one of a textier was heard saying that very confidently.

Over the past 3 decades, cell phones have taken over the world by storm. These small mobile devices have changed every day folk lives to an entirely new twist. It has engulfed the population of America so much that it has become a part of one’s daily routine to check this device no matter what we are doing. This, unfortunately, does include driving. Matter of fact, cell phones have impacted America so significantly, that 1.6 million people die from the use of a cell phone while driving. So the question might come up, “What could these individuals being doing on their phones?” Well, they could be looking in a camera, playing a game, or doing the most common function everyone does, texting. 1 out of every 4 car accidents are caused by texting and driving in the United States. In four different experiments of psychologist David Strayer, Frank Drews, and William Johnston, they found out that talking on the phone is a distraction for driving, whether it be looking at the surroundings or cars in front of the vehicle (2003). Throughout the trails, participants were to drive in a simulator and conversate through a hand-free cell phone (Strayer, Drews, & Johnston 2003). The evidence found for experiment one, following a car that periodically and unexpectedly stopped, was that talking distracted them from crashing into the car in front of them (Strayer, Drews, &Johnston 2003). The other three trials were based on seeing their environment around them, which the drivers also failed in

“In Ontario alone, more than 235,000 distracted driving charges have been laid in the past three years, And a recent study reported that one-third of all young drivers (Grades 10 to 12) admitted to texting while driving at least once in the past year.” (Verwey, "Dealer's Voice: Distracted Driving Bigger Killer than Drunk Driving"). Texting And driving related deaths and injuries grew significantly in 2014. Software, makers are really working hard to develop cell phone applications that block texts or minimize the distraction of texting. Also, there are applications in cell phones that reward the driver for not touching the phone or responding to messages. Texting and driving negatively impacts society by causing wrecks, injuries, and even loss of life. The laws of the states and the government are both trying to solve the issue as well as software developers and companies such as Samsung and Verizon. Technology and stricter laws are needed to minimize texting and driving accidents and related deaths effectively. That is why texting and driving negatively impacts a society as a whole. Texting and driving does not necessarily mean you are going to get in a wreck, but texting while driving is a risky behavior that negatively impacts society; therefore, people should not text while driving, there should be laws passed to enforce no texting while driving, and companies should create software to encourage and stop people from texting while driving.

In 2015, there was a fatal car crash that resulted in the death of a father and his 10 year old daughter. The car crash occurred because of a teen insisting she could handle sending one text. Seconds later, 2 innocent lives were changed. Does a text have more value compared to a life?

Some people might wonder what is texting and driving? Well, it's reading, composing or even sending text messages on a mobile phone while the person is operating a vehicle. United States Department of Transportation highlighted the dangerous effects of texting and driving for in the year 2013, 3,154 people died, but in 2015 the number increase to 3,477 this number just keeps rising each year. With the full use of mobile phones, texting while driving is becoming more commonplace and more dangerous every year. Every day in the America, people die because of a driver looks away from the road for a “few” seconds to check a message. Thus, the reasoning for laws banning the use of a mobile device in the vehicle. Texting while driving should not be done about the dangers and life changes events that can come from it like an automobile accident, personal injury to oneself or another and the severe consequences is death.

Automobile crashes involving texting and driving is something that has taken our country by surprise. Every year texting and driving has been steadily increasing though out the United States. If people think they can safely text while driving, or just don’t think there is not any real danger in texting and driving they are mistaken. Texting and driving must be stopped. It is vital to provide individuals with educational programs to spread the message about the dangers of texting and driving.

“The only time you should text and drive is when what you have to say is more important than your very life.”(Anonymous) Did you know that the leading injuries and deaths are caused by a person texting while driving? According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2012 and 2013 more than 10 percent was caused by distracted driving (Felix and Dixit 57). With 2 out of every 10 teenagers and 1 out of every 10 adults focused on lengthy text messages while they’re behind the wheel, our roads are packed with drivers who are virtually blind (Felix and Dixit 59). Texting while driving has a higher risk of crashing into another car or something rather than a person who is intoxicated. Every day, distracted driving kills 9 and injures over a thousand people (James par.3). Every time you reach for the phone, tap a button or punch in a number, or write out a text or email, you are three times more likely to get into a crash (Dixit and Felix 63). Distracted drivers experience what researchers call inattention blindness, like that of tunnel vision (Safety Council). Distracted drivers do not undertake their surrounding and the roadway (Safety Council). Every year, people are dying from texting and driving such as being ran over, and hit with another car. Throughout the years, texting and new technology is evolving and distracted driving is becoming more and more of an issue. The constant need to be in touch with everyone is putting their selves and other people who are sharing

Texting has been used well into the beginning of the 21st century, ever since mobile phones took on a much smaller approach unlike their counterparts of yesteryear; does the 80’s ring any big bells. Nowadays there is not a person in sight that does not incorporate texting in their daily routine, even though it is more commonly used by preteens and young adults. Even with texting’s rise with this particular group, so too does the complaints about how it is causing more harm than good to our nation’s youth. It is still a form of communication unlike any other; not even calling someone is as popular to our society as good old texting. In their different articles, Jeff K. Caird, Kate A. Johnston, Chelsea R. Willness, Mark Asbridge, and Piers Steel, authors of the journal article “A Meta-analysis of the Effects of Texting on Driving,” Solomon Ali Dansieh, writer of “SMS Texting and its Potential Impacts on Students’ Written Communication Skills,” and Nurul Retno Nurwulan, Bernard C. Jiang, and Hardianto Iridiastadi’s, authors of the research article, “Posture and Texting: Effect on Balance in Young Adults,” go over different negative effects that texting has on our society as a whole. While texting can have a positive effect, it appears to have more dominant negative effect on individual’s driving capabilities, causes poor written communication skills, and loss of postural stability.