Essay On Texting And Driving

Distracted driving; most of us are guilty of it without even knowing it. Distracted driving is doing anything else unrelated to driving while behind the wheel. This could include: using a cell phone, changing the radio station, eating food, and even having a conversation. The most distracting of them all is using a cell phone because it requires the user to manually input information. The laws surrounding texting while driving are far too lenient when compared to laws on drunk driving, yet both can end in a car crash. People texting while driving should face steeper penalties than what is already in place because they are a danger to anyone around them. The small fines are not enough to deter people. While banning cell phones from being allowed in vehicles is not an effective approach to the problem, stricter laws should be put in place to make the roads a safer place. Texting while driving penalties should be treated with a similar severity that DUI charges are. The penalties for texting and driving need to be increased because it would make the roads safer, increase the government’s revenue, and help solve the problem of texting while driving.

Furthermore, ‘texting in cars and trucks causes over 3,000 deaths and 330,000 injuries per year as stated by a Harvard Center for risk study’ (Hanson n.p.). Just imagine all the lives that could be saved from deaths or injuries if people stop texting while driving because it is a major distraction for them. There belief is that they can multitask, but the sad reality is that the brain cannot do that. The brain has to focus in a particular task at a time. In order to do things right or correctly. Pennings a highway patrol helped demonstrate teens that texting while driving is a dangerous action. He made several so called “ Professional Texters” pass several obstacles while answering text messages and the results were not pleasing at all, cones were flying. The questions asked were not hard, yet they still manage to make the driver lose focus from driving. This is why implementing a rigorous law would come in handy. People will reconsider the thought of many things while being in their vehicles such as texting,eating and drinking, watching videos, putting makeup or grooming, etc. The states have not yet implemented a good law they only prohibit it during school zones or if a police officer sees you, but that is not enough.

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 a local news station called KCTV5 they did a report on an accident caused by texting and driving and this is what happened, “A 16-year-old girl has been charged with manslaughter, assault and texting while driving in connection with a September 2011 fatality collision. It's a moment the young driver can never take back, and one prosecutors said could have been avoided if she'd just put down her phone.” This is just plain sad that a 16 year old girl’s life just ruined because she choose to text and drive. Texting and driving is a humongous debate in our society because of how many people do it. People die due to texting and driving every day. people can go to jail for texting and driving and you can hurt other people. Texting and driving is dangerous and should be enforced.

If you are caught multitasking then you should receive a some type of punishment for disobeying the law.About 40 states have banned texting while driving, however it helps prevent it but, it does not go far enough. Having these explicit laws in the states should frighten certain individuals especially if incarceration could specify. The first time you get caught should be your first and only warning even though it’s clearly a law. Now, the length of incarceration should depend on different circumstances. For an example, if you decide to text while behind the wheel and end up killing someone you should face vehicular manslaughter or a homicide charge. If glancing at your phone for ten seconds is worth risking someone else's life then you should be prepare yourself for facing incarceration. The issue has gotten so ridiculous that cell phone companies and even insurance companies are having their customers pledge to not text while driving because it’s that

The second reason of why texting while driving should be made illegal is that it is as dangerous, or even more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol. In a research study it has been proven that even with a hands-free device, talking on a phone can impair driving skills more than driving under the influence of alcohol does (Saletan 3) because when under the influence the driver does not lose sight from the road and constantly knows what is going on around him, even though his judgment has been impaired and his reaction time has been slowed down. In contrast, texting while driving makes you lose sight from the road which makes the drivers reaction time much longer than someone driving under the influence and can make him end up in a very bad accident.

One out four car crashes are caused by texting and driving. It has been proven that 94% of all teens acknowledge and agree that texting and driving is a very dangerous thing. However 32% admit to doing it anyway. www.edgarsnyder.com states, “660,000 drivers are attempting to use their phones while behind the wheel of an automobile.” This is an outrageously large number of people. This number needs to be reduced. “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. -50 reasons not to text and drive-”. Texting and driving should not be permitted on the road.

“In a split second you could ruin your future,injure or kill others, and tear a hole in the heart of everyone who love you” (Source 1). This was a message from Sharon Heit who was a mother of the 22 year old Alexander Heit who died due to texting while driving. Using a cellphone while driving is a dangerous behavior because it can kill or injure others that are around you.

People should be cited for texting while driving because not only are drivers putting themselves in danger but also everyone else around them. Statistics have indicated that over 6,000 deaths and well over half a million injuries have occurred due to drivers using cell phones in 2011 alone. Drivers sending or receiving test messages take their eyes off of the road for at least five seconds which is enough time to cover an entire football field. One could only imagine the tremendous amount of damage that can be done driving across a football field with unopened eyes. “The more cognitive workload capacity that you consume, the less likely it is that you’re going to scan the road”

I believe it is time to start enacting similar laws for texting and driving to slow down the current trend and start protecting innocent people from their irresponsible act. Current advertising campaigns have not proven to be effective enough, therefore it is time for the public to ask their state legislators to begin work on tougher laws. Too many lives and families have been destroyed by someone texting and driving. Before I or anyone else has to endure this type of tragedy, it is time to put tougher laws in place. In my opinion, I believe that anyone that is ticketed for texting and driving should automatically lose their license for a minimum of six months to a year and attend a driver improvement class. Any repeat offenders should receive stiffer penalties similar to drunk

Texting while driving is an epidemic that has taken our nation by surprise. Over the last decade analysts have seen an increase in the number of accidents relating to texting and driving. Today many people think that they can type on their phones or while driving, without thinking that there is any real danger in the act of doing so. Something must be done to stop texting while driving. But what can be done though? How do we control this deadly action that many people do behind the wheel? The answer to this is that our government must take action by adding conformity to the laws and punishments rendered to the offenders. It is also important that the government give enough awareness and educational programs in order to spread the message about the dangers of texting and driving while behind the wheel.

Wouldn’t you agree that texting and driving is a big issue nowadays? Many drivers are so caught up in their phones that they risk their lives and the lives of others just so that they could answer a simple text message. Now that this problem is becoming so big, it should have severe consequences. People who text and drive should get license suspension for six months and get $500 for the first violation and $1000 for the second violation.

This includes the House Bill 1013 which went into effect back in October. It bans any driver of a motor vehicle to engage in text messaging. A few other states that ban the use of a cell phone while driving are Illinois, California, New York, and Indiana has a ban on any one under the age of 18.

Should stricter laws be enforced to prohibit texting and driving? Yes, stricter laws should be enforced because there are so many lives being taken from this world and it needs to stop. Over many years more deaths have happened because of a simple irresponsible mistake. When you are driving and you pick up that phone, you are not only putting your life in danger but also everybody else’s around you. Would you believe that more deaths happen because of texting and driving rather than drinking and driving? When under the influence you pay more attention, but when you use your phone while driving you take your eyes off the road and lose focus. You might not think you do, but when you text and drive, you end up swerving into another lane, rear ending someone because you did not see them stop, could run a stop sign or red light, or go way over the speed limit and not know you are doing it. Something needs to be done the percentage of people that text and drive, apps people use, all the jobs that consists of driving, the safety of everyone, teens thinking they are unstoppable, distractions everywhere, loss of focus, cell phone becoming a problem in society, and to fix this problem we need to make stricter laws.

Across the globe family and friends are losing their loved ones to fatal texting and driving accidents. These days, many strive to be connected with the world and their friends by using mobile devices. The problem is that numerous people tend to do so at bad times. For example, while one is driving, it is common to look down at the cell phone to send a short text message that could put their lives in harm. Across the nation, numerous advertising and support groups are spreading the word to encourage society to put phones down and focus on driving instead of texting. However, it really hasn’t stopped. There needs to be a significant change and with the way technology is advancing, there is an immediate, attainable action that can be