Distracted Driving Emotions

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.

Many teens, so-called “younger generation”, seem too connected to their phones and have begun to text and drive. According to Sherry Turkle, “Roman, eighteen, admits that he texts while driving and he is not going to stop. ‘I know I should, but it is not going to happen. If I get a Facebook message or something posted on my wall, I have to see it. I have to” (Turkle 429). Even though teens know that they are doing something wrong, they still do it because they think nothing will happen. Just because we have not experienced accidents, does not mean it will not happen. Just think of all the people who have said the same thing. They think accidents are a world away from their own reality. No one seems to think about what can happen to other people as well as themselves. Everyone should think of others because just a little glance on your

Deciding to pick up the phone, eat, talk to a passenger, or adjust the radio are only a few examples of what it means to drive distracted. Each of these actions could result in a fatality, and the statistics show that distracted driving is a grave cause for concern. In 2014, there were 3,179 people killed and an estimated additional 431,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2016). 13% of distracted driving crashes were as a result of cell phone use, killing 404 people (NHTSA, 2016).

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

"Distracted Driving." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.

Prior to researching my topic, I knew that distracted driving was a serious matter, but I never thought too much of it. As a passenger in the car with adults and friends, I always saw them changing the radio station, talking on the phone, or texting, but never saw it as that big of a deal. As I watched the news, I used to see inventions and software come up all the time that is supposed to prevent drivers from driving distracted. Things such as cars with Bluetooth connectivity, and voice enable calling or texting were recently put into cars, and at first I felt it made sense. After I conducted my research, I

According to Ashley Gaddis from Counterpoint, “From 1999 to 2008, nearly fifty-two thousand people were killed in car crashes caused by distracted drivers” (n.pag.). Distracted driving started when technology became mobile and handheld. Many people have died and gotten injured from people not paying attention to the road. This problem has been growing as technology advances. Distracted driving is a big problem and there needs to be stronger penalties and laws in place to deter people from distracted driving.

Have you ever had a time when driving where there is a person who doesn't know what they are doing and they almost hit you? And when you go up to to see what in the world they were thinking you see them on their phone not paying any attention to the road or how they are driving. If so then you are definitely not the only one. Every year thousands of people lose their lives as a result of reckless drivers on the road. Many of the people responsible for these accidents say that they were distracted by either their phones or some other form of technology. Nowadays people are so consumed with their social lives and what's going on social media, that they feel the need to check these things at the wrong times. More specifically when they are driving. Distracted driving should be stopped because it takes the life of thousands of people every year. Distractions while driving is the result of the majority of car accidents and it is a direct violation of the law.

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 has been the most recent cause of accidents on the road presently. Of course there are many other reasons why drivers get into accidents, but it is mainly because they get distracted. Police in El Cerrito, California even gave more than 600 citations in April to drivers for distracted driving violations (“El Cerrito”).Also,“nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in the U.S. due to drivers being distracted”(“Distracted”).Distracted driving today causes many accidents through the use of technology, eating and drinking, and children in the backseat.

Hillary Coltharp was a 26 year old who loved playing with her son, partying with friends and family, and working at a local hair salon. Unfortunately, due to distracted driving, that was all about to change. As Hillary was heading to meet her family for dinner when her family called to check on her. After ensuring her family that she was on her way, Hillary began to text while she was driving. After a while, her family began to worry and started to look for her. As they made it to highway they discover Hillary’s convertible being placed on a tow truck. Distracted driving had caused her to lose control of her vehicle, cross the median, roll three times and finally, be ejected 75 feet from her vehicle. She suffered a skull fracture, a major brain injury, broken bones, a collapsed lung and countless other injuries (KOHP). This is just one example of how just one text can ruin a life. Distracted driving is very dangerous and it only takes a few second to cause a fatal accident, therefore, texting and driving should be illegal.

Living in a world full of new technology being made and thought of is starting to be the main cause of why the universe is losing so many of our teens and young adults to texting and driving Technology is also improving in different ways that people can not keep up with it. In 2013 about 3,154 people died in an accident with a distracted driver(CDC Prevention). Many laws have been issued to decrease the amount of deaths by distracted drivers. On September 30, 2009 President Barack Obama made an executive order banning federal employees to not text and drive on government business or equipment (CDC Prevention). States are trying to create laws to ban inexperienced drivers and adults from being distracted while driving to lower the amount of

Imagine being blindfolded for the length of a football field while driving. This would not feel very safe, right? Well, five second is the average time your eyes are off the road while sending or reading a text. When traveling at 55 mph, that is enough time to cover the length of a football field. Plus, the average amount of time it takes to get into a crash is only three seconds. 11% of all drivers under 20 that were involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted. This age group has the largest population of distracted drivers. It is not just teens, adults are also breaking the law while driving. 49% of adults say they have been passengers in a car when the driver was sending or reading texts on their cell phone. Reaching for a phone, dialing, texting and other uses of portable devices increases the risk of getting into a crash by three times. As of 2011, about 60% of drivers use cell phones while driving. There is obviously a huge chance of getting into a wreck, whether you are the one texting or not. It is not just the decision to not text and drive, but the decision to refuse to get in a car where the driver has their cell phone

“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. which is becoming more popular in today’s society because many have cell phones. Another type of distracted driving is drinking and driving, this continues to stay a topic for many years. Although drinking and driving and texting and driving carry many similarities with the

A word has started to appear in discussions of driving. The word is "distracted." It refers to drivers who pay more attention to their cell phones, or their text messages, than they do to driving. The results can be fatal. One of the most common distractions today is texting. Each day in the United States, 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver (Center). A couple of months ago, I and a friend were sitting at a red light waiting on green. We were talking about making plans for later that evening. We decided what to do as soon as the light turned green, we waited on the car in front of us to ease off the line. Then we were hit. This turned into a five car pileup.