As technology advances, people become notorious for using their electronics in inappropriate situations. Teenagers in present day commonly text at the dinner table, while crossing a street, and even while driving. Not only do teenagers text, their parents do, as well. Texting is a frequent fad among the young adults, it also a convenient method for parents to keep in contact with their children. People nowadays have to be in contact with friends and family at every moment of the day especially while driving it is the equivalent of driving under the influence, using hand-held devices (like Bluetooth) will decrease the number of accidents caused by phones, and studies show texting reduces a persons reaction time. Recent studies …show more content…
One simulation showed talking on a cell phone is much more dangerous than talking to a passenger; the study concluded this because a passenger can take an active role in making the driver attentive of traffic and of course facilitate with directions. Recently, in Columbus, Ohio, a news report reported that the State Highway Patrol logged fifty more fatalities than in the same period for the prior year. The Highway Patrol noted that nineteen fatalities were the result of distracted driving. The problems of distracted driving exist throughout the United States. For example, this year Wisconsin enacted a law prohibiting texting while driving due to the danger of distracted driving. In New York, students at the State University of New York – Fredonia (SUNY) sponsored a texting awareness week to make college students more aware of the risks of distracted driving. The dangers of distracted driving have led the United States Department of Transportation to make a major initiative to develop solutions to end distracted driving. The impact of distracted driving has led President Obama to declare December, 2010 as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. Many states have addressed the problem by prohibiting texting while driving. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, thirty states, the District of Colombia and Guam ban texting while driving. However, the bill to ratify such a ban failed in the Arizona
People can get injured or even get killed, because one person was on the phone while driving. Talking to someone in the car is not as dangerous as talking on the phone. When you talk to someone in the car they can see what's going on, and make sure you are not going to crash. When you are on the phone, the person you are talking to cannot see the road. You can easily get into an accident because it usually takes people 4.5 seconds
Although people of all age-ranges use their smartphone device daily, people are more concerned of those who are younger. Adults born before the 2000s were raised in a world and society that was not technology based, so seeing the first generation to experience it can be unsettling. It is quite evident that almost every teen has a smartphone, and will use it at any given opportunity. The problem is teenagers actually use it anytime, even if the time is not appropriate. Many teens from the ages sixteen through eighteen are receiving their driver's license, but have a hard time not using smartphones while driving. This causes great dangers to everyone else on the roads. In some cases, people have been in accidents caused by people texting while driving. Unfortunately, many individuals have lost their lives because of someone texting while driving. In Turkle's’ piece “Growing up Tethered” she includes student testimonials such as Roman’s. “Roman, eighteen, admits that he texts while driving and he is not going to stop. ‘I know I should, but it’s 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 236). Though teenagers are very aware of circumstances when texting while driving, that still does not stop them from doing so. The constant “need” of being connected with friends and others on social media is what keeps teenagers from not
The act of sending electronic messages or texting is easily accessible to anyone that owns a cell phone. Often people are seen with the cell phone in one hand and texting while walking, eating in a restaurant with friends, working or shopping. It has become a part of everyday life. The convenience and the need to stay connected has made texting a useful method of communicating, that has increased dramatically with teenagers. “Adolescents report that texting is the most common way that they stay in contact with friends, sending an average of a hundred texts per day” (Delgado para. 1). This includes texting while driving. The effects of distracted driving from texting include legal penalties, increase in insurance premiums, motor vehicle crashes, and even death. Texting while driving has become a major problem in the United State and a simple LOL can have serious consequences.
Simply putting down your phone and paying attention to the road is a decision that not only could save the life of a driver but could save a whole family and community a whole lot of hurt. At any given time during the day approximately 800,000 people across the United States are on their phone while driving, which explains why texting is the number one distraction for teens across the country (Don’t Text and Drive-Volunteer Society of America). However, we can change this. Educating teens about the true risks of texting and driving just might save a life. Any text can
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
First of all texting while driving is a dangerous and risky thing to do in our society. Texting while driving is illegal in almost all states. People are realizing how dangerous it can be and making it illegal. In an article called distracted driving only two states, Arizona and Montana had no bans on cell phones while driving and only one state had a partial ban which was Missouri. Everybody else had a full ban on texting and driving. In an article called 10 Programmatic Reasons that will make you stop texting and driving today, it said “As the correlation between auto accidents and texting while driving escalates, many municipalities and states are passing legislation making it illegal to text and drive.” This basically is explaining how texting while driving is becoming illegal in almost every state. The punishment for the first couple of times will just be a $100 fine but will increase if you're a repeat offender.. But do you really want to spend $100 on a fine when you could spend it on a new pair of shoes or your kid? Texting while driving is illegal and you can be fined.
I am going to look at Drinking and Driving and Texting while Driving, in order to find out how hazardous both are and how laws have been enforced, because it will address all drivers how fatal drinking and distracted driving can be. Drinking and driving is an important issue for all drivers across America. Driver’s not only need to be aware of drunk drivers, but also need to be able to detect a distractive driver. Getting behind a wheel while drunk or even texting can change someone’s life in a split second. Not only are the drivers life at stake, but they passengers and other drivers at risk for their negligent driving. Laws have been enforced to for those who drive while under the influence and those who use a cellular device, but it cannot always be stopped. There are too many drivers on the road compared to law enforcement. Majority of drivers do get distracted, they believe they can multi-task, and they believe they are “ok” to get behind the wheel and drive home. There are many reasons as to why a driver would drive drunk and many reasons a driver would state as to why he/she was texting.
Texting and driving was banned in 2011 in Indiana because of the overabundance of car accidents that involved cell phones and distracted driving. With this law in place, people thought that it would work and that people would stop using them while driving. This was not the case, however. In Indiana with the texting and driving ban there have only been, “fewer than 400 tickets written as of mid-2014” (Gormley 89). This is not surprising because cell phones are so modest that they are easily missed when police drive by cars. Texting and driving bans are used to better driving accidents, but are not always used to their full extent. On page 89 of "Indiana's Texting-While-Driving Ban: Why Is It Not Working and How Could It Be Better?", Gormley stated, “As it stands today, Indiana’s texting while driving statute contains gaping loopholes, which leave drivers free to engage in risky behaviors with little fear of legal repercussions” (Gormley 89). A loophole they have to get around are actually being able to see the driver texting while driving. Texting and driving bans are newer and do not have all the kinks worked out, but if more states begin using them they will become better used. Putting more of these bans into use will be able to work on all the kinks and better them to use to be more effective and save more lives.
In today’s day and age, technology has drastically increased. People seem to rely on the use of their devices more than anything. Typically, whenever and wherever, everyone is engaged in some form of technology, cell phones in particular. From pagers, to car phones, to initial “flip-phones”, and now to smart-phones, people practically use up most of their daily time with these devices. Nowadays, a lot of people doesn’t even like to have phone conversations…they can deliver their entire thought through a simple text message. In some retrospect, that’s a very good thing; in others, it can be extremely crucial, especially when it comes to texting and driving. Texting and driving has been the leading cause of car accidents in the recent years,
According to kelly (2012), about “six billion messages are sent a day and over 2.2 trillion in the US, (Kelly, 2012). The worst violators are high school seniors, 58% have said they have texted while they were driving within the month before the study (Bratsis,2013).” That is a lot of teens that are texting nowadays. The majority of teenagers argue that “texting and driving is a “common” thing to do.” but when not only their lives but also other
Distracted driving, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include things like talking on your cell phone, texting, emailing and even eating (“Distracted Driving.”). Being distracted for even a few seconds can be deadly. Every day over 9 people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in accidents associated with distracted drivers, according to the CDC (“Distracted Driving.”). This heartbreaking statistic could be reduced if States would do more to prevent distracted driving. Florida recently took action and banned texting and driving. This law, however, is not enough to reduce the tragedies caused by distracted driving.
As cell phones become more popular, texting while driving is becoming the most widely known cause for car accidents among teens. The alarming rate of incidents where texting is involved is getting more parents worried and warning their children about the danger of texting while driving. Parents are urging the fact that drivers should pay attention to the road and traffic, not their phones. A popular study of 18 to 24 year old drivers showed that 66 percent of them have texted while driving. Since texting while driving is becoming more popular many states are passing a law to ban the use of any cell phone device while in a vehicle. Texting while driving is an important issue that is causing many deaths and those who cause these deaths and
Driving while driving has become a major problem across the country. We are losing too many mothers, fathers, son, and daughters due to drivers being distracted with their cells texting. Nineteen states including the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) have banned it. The Transportation
A report by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an insurance industry-funded research group, said, “An estimated 450,000 people were killed or injured last year in distracted-driving accidents”(Ashley Halsey). The amount of accidents that happen yearly on the road has caused controversy of what’s causing these accidents. Many say it's just people who get distracted while their driving, but people don’t understand that its phones that are causing these people to become distracted. Therefore, Texting while driving should be illegal in every state. Texting while driving causes many dangerous and life threatening accidents on the road yearly; if we don’t allow texting while driving, our society will be safer. By making it illegal to text and drive, we can decrease the number of accidents that happen yearly by distracted drivers. Every individual should realize that it is a privilege to drive and should respect the safety of our society.
Texting and Driving is a distraction and there are many causes for texting and driving in the U.S. For any problem there is a cause and texting and driving is caused by a few main factors. Twenty years ago the issue of texting and driving would cease to exist, the addiction that people have to their phones is new to society (“Facts About Texting and Driving”). Numerous people are not aware that this addiction can be harmful to themselves or other people. Various states may not be educating their drivers on what the effects of texting while driving actually are and how fatal they can be. It is important for drivers to see how texting while driving may affect other people; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration brings attention to that, ”The risky behavior poses a danger to vehicle