Driving While Using Cellphones While Vehicles

Is the use of a cell phone worth the risk on the roadway? Cell phones have become an integral part of our daily life. With the increase of technology of cell phones, it makes our daily lives easier and more efficient. Multitasking results in those tasks competing for the driver’s attention, diverting the driver’s attention away from the roadway. The use of cell phones of any kind impairs a driver’s decision-making ability. The driver’s attention and their ability to process anything besides driving are suppressed. Their mind is divided as soon as their attention is focused on the obsession of their cell phone rather than the road. Cell phone drivers are stretched beyond safe limits when multitasking of driving and talking or texting with a cell phone which then becomes unsafe. Most drivers over-estimate their capability to safely multitask and assuming they have this ability is a hazard. Is it really worth it to endanger yourself or others while driving with a cell phone? Some people don 't realize the danger of this until something happens to them, a family member, or friend of theirs.

1. The National Safety Council estimates that at least 1.6 million crashes each year involve drivers using cell phones and texting and drivers who use a cell phone – either handheld or hands-free – are four times more likely to be involved in a crash.

First and foremost, the risk of using a phone while driving is a big chance of an accident more than what the people think. According to the Harvard study “Texting while driving and other forms of distracted driving are responsible for more than 1 million crashes, 400,000 injuries, and 3,000 deaths in the U.S. each year—and those numbers are likely to increase with the proliferation of in-car infotainment systems. (Center for Health Communication)” In a Harvard study asserts that is every day some families in the United States have missing father, mother, or kids and someday could be myself or someone of my relatives stays the next person of injuries or might be deaths, the

“When a driver ‘talks and drives’ they are not only putting themselves at risk, they are also putting everyone around them in a dangerous situation” (ComparisonMarket.com). A study conducted last year by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, had cameras placed inside one hundred cars and trucks to track drivers' activities before a dangerous event occurred. Research shows users of cell phones while driving caused far more crashes and near misses than non-users. These statistics do not change even if the hand held device becomes hands free by means of a blue tooth or speaker phone. Hands-free cell phones may allow the driver to keep both hands on the wheel however, devices such as headsets or voice activated dialing led to longer

Many people driving don’t know that they can be so many wrongs they can be doing without realizing it. Plenty talk on the phone while driving, drink, text and drive. A lot of people even innocent people as well have had accidents involving one of those. Out of the three there has been one that has become more common, and it’s only increasing if people don’t put a stop to it themselves. A usage of a cell phone should not be displayed at any point while driving. It can wait many have had accidents even deaths because of reading or of writing a simple text messages. No text is worth dying for. As technology keeps on evolving quickly you’d wonder

Driving Us to Distraction Summary-Response Paper The essay, ‘Driving us to Distraction’ by Gilbert Cruz is about the dangers of hands-free technology while driving. The author argues that while driving and talking on a cell phone is deadly, using hands-free technology is not that much better of a choice. He supports his argument by citing a 2003 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study that found cellphone use to be a serious hazard on the road and by mentioning a series of simulator tests conducted in 2007 by a psychology professor at the University of Utah named David Strayer.

Studies have shown that over 600,000 drivers attempt to use their cellular device behind the wheel of an automobile daily. People do not feel safe taking their eyes off the road, not even a second, knowing that they may be in risk of having an automobile accident. The fear that we live with in today's society should not be a thing, everyone should be able to go somewhere feeling safe and not in risk of losing their life in a second. The many dangers due to texting and driving are real.

Texting and driving is a major crisis in our society today. As stated by Edgar Snyder , 1.6 million car accidents were caused by the illegal use of cellular devices , each year. .Using hand-held devices while driving result in eight deaths per day. Some injuries sustained from these crashes include traumatic brain injuries , back & spinal cord damage , along with paralysis . Use of phones should be prohibited because they are a distraction and reveal how selfish people can be .

Nobody would deny technology makes our lives much simpler, but such a device can endanger your life. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute says those texting while driving are 23 more times likely to have an accident than those who do not. Also, those dialing on the phone are 2.8 times more likely to be in an accident. Ten states and Washington D.C. ban the use of handheld cell phones by drivers, and 32 states and D.C ban new drivers from using them.

“A distracted driver may fail to see up to 50% of the available information in the driving environment. You may look but not actually “see” what is happening. Focus of the driver is not on the road or traffic and it becomes difficult to handle phone and vehicle at one time. Cell phones during driving also reduce the mental capacity of drivers as they fail to concentrate on minor or major activities happening around them. Cell phones distract drivers' attention resulting in comparatively slow response to traffic signals and other related traffic events. Studies have shown the fact that breaking reaction time is also slower while talking on a cell phone during driving. The perception, vision, general awareness, and concentration of the driver are impacted while communicating on a cell phone during driving. Especially during bad weather or driving on slippery roads, drivers engaging in conversation pay less attention to these areas increasing risks of fatal accidents.

Driving in general can be hazardous. Driving and having such a distraction as a cell phone at ear, or ringing somewhere in a car, is ten times more dangerous. Not surprisingly, drivers who use a cell phone while driving perceive cell phone use by others as less of a threat to their safety as do non-users. A huge number of accidents caused by talking on a cell phone. During the last 5 years texting has become insanely popular. It’s a great and convenient tool because people don’t have to call person to just say ‘ok’ on that dinner invitation. The worst part is that many people still think that texting while driving just that ‘ok’ is ok. Unfortunately, even with traffic police enforcing those ‘no cellphone’ laws, individuals still neglect those simple safety concerns. People need to start understanding themselves how dangerous it is.

alone every year. The issue of driving while talking on a cell phone has become serious enough that five states have passed laws prohibiting this type of act and making it a primary offense to do so. Not only are drivers talking behind the wheel, but many have admitted to engaging in even more potentially dangerous behavior with their phones such as text messaging and surfing the internet. A distracted driver is a dangerous one. If you are focused on a conversation and your eyes are not on the road, drivers cannot be expected to make a quick and safe decision should the need for one arise. The behavior of a driver while using a cell phone has been compared to that of one driving while under the influence. Studies have shown that those who use a cell phone while driving are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who don’t.

Other drivers on the road take notice of drivers on their cell phones whether they want to or not because of the hazards they create. Erratic driving is something that we all get quite worked up about, especially if it makes us late or is otherwise a direct inconvenience to us. Scott Clark, veteran web business strategist and the owner of the consultancy BuzzMaven Labs, says “[He] came within inches of a bad accident because of a young driver being on the phone and crossing three lanes of traffic at 45 mph.” Drivers are also tailgating you because of, again, the inability to maintain a constant speed because they are on the phone. Clark warns of “[…] the rusty red Camaro [tailgating] the minivan full of kids.”

I have been driving numerous hours lately, sixty to be exact so I can get my driver’s license in a couple of weeks. While spending so much time on the roads recently, I have noticed tons of people distracted on their cell phones. In fact, a couple have almost run me off the road while drifting into my lane. I also have many friends that use their cell phones when driving, all of which are inexperienced drivers. This all makes me very nervous now that I am going to be a driver myself. I often hear about automobile accidents that are caused because someone was using their cell phone. In fact, a lady was killed in my hometown last year because a man admitted to texting while driving. There are many groups that advocate for no texting while driving, which experts say is a bigger risk for distraction, because it takes your attention away from the road longer. Some of these groups are: “U.S. Department of Transportation/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Impact Teen Drivers, National Safety Council, Drop It and Drive, and End Distracted Driving which was created by the parents of Casey Feldman after she was killed in 2009 by a distracted driver” (CellControl). If you look at the statistics with good reason, you can assume that cell phones are the cause. “U.S. fatalities from traffic accidents rose 7.2% last year to 35,092—the largest increase in 50 years—and distracted driving played a role in 10% of those deaths, according National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

If you are driving at 55mph for 5 seconds in that amount of time you could cross a football field. People don’t understand how dangerous distracted driving really is. All states should have some sort of legal parameters of what happens when you get caught using your cell phone while driving. People should get a stronger/ harsher punishment for the use of a cellular device while driving. People are way more impaired when you are distracted and driving than you are drinking and driving.