Driving While Texting : Distracted Driving

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).

Distracted driving is very dangerous to everyone on the road ways.  Distracted driving is engaging in non-driving activities that distracts the driver from the primary task of driving (SIRS).  In 2015, 3,477 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver (CDC).  Each year about 421,000 people are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver (Edgar Snyder).   Drivers would not be texting if their message was not very important.   Distracted driving should be illegal and security devices in vehicles should be implemented in order to save lives.

Distracted driving poses an immense problem across the United States, and the issue only seems to continue growing. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed” in cases involving distracted driving, and of those killed, “teens were the largest age group reported as distracted at the time of fatal crashes” (“Distracted Driving”, n.d.). These terrifying statistics cannot be ignored. Distracted driving is a national epidemic, and unless society addresses the problem properly and efficiently, the risky driving behavior will continue to plague our streets, endangering peoples’ lives and leading to more fatalities.

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

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.

Laws should be created and enforced for people who are texting while driving because it increases death rates, accidents, and more money will be paid to repair the car. Distracted drivers could be driving while eating, talking to passengers, or using the GPS. However, texting while driving is considered to be the most hazardous act. When people use their phones while driving they are putting their life and the people around them at risk. According to statistics compiled by the Department of Transportation in 2018, 3,477 people died and another 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes caused by drivers who were distracted because they were texting or using cell phones.

The amount of car accidents that happen each year continue to increase. This continues to happen because of the number of people who consistently drive distracted everyday. This is due to a surplus of reasons, however, many fall subject to driving distracted because they prioritize their cell phones more than what is happening on the road in front of them.

WARNING!! There is currently a dangerous epidemic outbreak of accidents caused by distracted driving all across the United States. Many believe that this outbreak only affects teenagers. Although, according to The Texas Department of Transportation in 2015 there has been over 105,000 of these accidents deals with teenagers and adults as the driver due to distracted driving. Safe driving is described as a complex procedure that requires 100 percent of focus and concentration. While, distractive driving is defined as any time the driver takes their eyes off the road for even a split second due to any distraction. These distractions can range from eating to using any electronic device and even talking to others inside and outside the car. There are countless of cases after cases about drivers being distracted and getting into fatal car

„„ In 2009, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving (FARS and GES). „„ Of those people killed in distracted-driving-related crashes, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). „„ Of those injured in distracted-driving-related crashes, 24,000 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (5% of injured people in distraction-related crashes). „„ Sixteen percent of fatal crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. „„ Twenty

In 2016, 3,450 people were killed due to distracted driving accidents. Along with that, in 2015, over 391,000 people were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Distracted Driving). Distracted driving is classified in three ways. Visual, which involves doing anything that is taking your eyes off the road. Manual, which is caused by taking your hands off the steering wheel. Lastly, cognitive, when your mind is distracted from your main task of driving and you are not giving your full attention to the road. Due to the increasing technology in our day to day lives, it is more common to find drivers distracted by cell phones rather than anything else. This is why it is critical that more laws are implemented to

“ Distracted driving kills” ( Distracted driving7). Distracted driving affects people of all ages but, “ our youngest and most inexperienced drivers are most at risk” ( Distracted driving7). This happens as soon as a person enters their vehicle and start to drive. Their eyes begin to go off the road which soon causes a head to head collision. Later on as technology improves and advances, cell phones have become the most common type of distracted driving such as eating or drinking or watching videos on their phone for an example, “ because text messaging requires visual, manual and conductive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarm distraction” (Distracted driving 5). This shows that many are risking their life and others around

“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

Distracted driving is one of the fastest growing problems in the United States.   It is starting to be considered as serious as drunk driving based on the dangerous outcomes.  According to the Department of Transportation (2012), “distracted driving was a cause of roughly 450,000 accident-related injuries and nearly 5,500 fatalities in 2009 alone” (para. 1). Drivers who allow themselves to become distracted while driving are not only endangering themselves, but other innocent bystanders.

1. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, distracted driving contributes to up to 8,000 crashes every single day.

About one in every five crashes in the state of Texas alone are due to distracted drivers on the road. Most of the accidents are more common in younger people from ages sixteen16 to thirty four34. In the year of 2016, there were 109,658 accidents that were all due to distracted driving in some way. As a result from all of these crashes, there were about 3,000 injured and 455 killed. On the road, concentration is more than necessary; it is the difference between life and death. H, however in this modern day andin age, there is more than just a radio to distract you when going down the road.