Distracted Driving, And The Dangers Of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving accounted for more than 3,100 deaths in 2013. The U.S. Department of Education has taken several steps to control the number of distracted driving incidents. The organization has held summits and pushed to enforce strict texting and driving laws. Technology manufacturers are starting to get involved in the nation’s effort to save lives. The ComSonics company is currently producing a device that can potentially track a person who is sending texts from a cell phone while driving.

United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Phone Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors. Washington, DC, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011.

In this article “Distracted Driving”, many distractions are mentioned other than just cell phone usage, such as changing the radio station or driving with kids in the back seat. It is stated that the dangers from distracted driving are because of the decrease in brain function and inability to pay full attention to the road. These practices lead to wrecks and in many cases death.

Being the cause of a cell phone related accident can leave a person unable to handle the consequences of their actions. There is great concern regarding the dangers of distracted driving. This is made evident by legislation that has been put in place in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (2011), nationwide, 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have enacted texting bans. Current data from the National Safety Council (2010) suggest that each year, at least 1.6 million traffic accidents (28% of all crashes) in the United States are caused by drivers talking on cell phones or texting. The U.S. Department of Transportation (2011) states that nine states, the District of Columbia, and

Most teens, and even adults, use their cellphones while they drive. They think a quick text or call won’t hurt while they are at a red light. They call it multitasking, and think that since they have a hand on the wheel they are fine. In the articles “How The Brain Reacts” by Marcel Just and Tim Keller, and “The Science Behind Distracted Driving” by KUTV, Austin they describe how the mind is working in the cellphone situation.

Distracted driving in America is not a trivial issue in today's society. On average, eight people are killed and one thousand one hundred sixty one people are injured due to accidents involving distracted drivers, particularly due to texting. Distracted driving is a huge issue in our society. The risks are great and lead to unfathomable results. Distracted driving has also taken such a big toll on our Nation, that laws have been put in place in hopes of preventing distracted driving.

Distracted driving affects all drivers from time to time and can come off with stiff consequences . Any activity that diverts attention from driving could put you and someone else in danger .Being distracted while driving , and the issues behind it could ruin someone's life.

Tom Vanderbilt, author of “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says About us)” claims that text messaging while driving, or “distracted driving” is comparable to drunk driving in the 1950s. He says “The Science is clear, the laws were becoming clearer, but the culture against drunken driving hadn’t manifested” (Politico). I agree with Vanderbilt; it’s clear that distracted driving puts drivers and passengers at significant risk, yet laws are only now starting to appear concerning the issue, and it’s not yet culturally unacceptable.

Distracted driving is an issue among many age groups, although the problem is mostly seen with teens. Texting isn’t the only distraction that is seen while driving, but it is one of the immense ones. Crying children, trying to fix a radio station and alcohol are also factors that could affect you attention on the road and lead to an accident. Texting while driving takes your eyes and hand off of the road for approximately five seconds to read and reply to a text, making it easy to lose control of your car. Florida does have a cell phone and texting driving law, but most of the time it isn’t evident that texting while driving was a distraction until it is too late. A driver can only be charged if they are arrested for another motor violation. The best way to prevent an accident due to texting and driving is to not do it.

“In a split second you could ruin your future, injure or kill others, and tear a hole in the heart of everyone who loves you,” (Heit). This specific quote shows how the results of distracted driving not only affects you, but also those around you. Distracted driving has been a serious concern for many years. This subject has been an issue because of the dangers it brings to the safety of others. One major type of distracted driving includes texting and driving.

Distracted driving is a huge issue that in 2013 took the lives of 3,154 Americans, according to distraction.gov. As an up incoming driver I don’t believe Florida does enough to prevent distracted driving. Cell phones are becoming a bigger part of a life as we know it, and out of all the states that have distracted driving laws, Florida’s is the most lenient. Most people don’t care about distracted driving, they don’t realize how big of a deal it is. I didn’t, I didn’t really think anything of it, up until I watched a video called Red Asphalt V. It is an extremely graphic video about teenage driving. As I watched it I couldn’t help but think ‘what if that happened to someone Love?’ It’s a very scary thought, losing someone that you love like

A piblic service anouncement, or PSA, can help reduce distracted drivers because teens can see what might happen to them if they drive distracted, will see the ramifictions that someone else has gone through because of distracted driving, and they can see professional views on what will happen.

Cell phone usage is so natural these days that people often feel that they can use their phone while they are driving. Unfortunately, cell phones are responsible for a quarter of car accidents due to people that are too distracted by using the device. If you were involved in a car accident with a driver that was using their cell phone at the time, it’s important to know what your rights are and what you can do about it.

I was really surprised to read all of the information on distracted driving and how much

Every year there are hundreds of car accidents that are directly related to some style of electronic device distracting people in cars driving and sadly the death rate keeps increasing as more technology is developed. For many people the use of their cell phone is a way to keep in contact with their friends or business partners. This technology advancement has started a problem with people trying to multitask behind the driver’s wheel which has been shown to increase the distraction level of the driver. Most car users now own a global positioning system which does allow driver to get to their destination fast and safer but if used at the wrong time can be a major distraction and