How To Reduce Distracted Driving

Each day in the United States, 8 people on average are killed in a distracted driving related accident (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Distracted driving can constitute anything from talking on the phone to reaching for a fallen object while driving. One way people have been fighting to combat the deadliness of distracted driving is through PSAs. PSAs are Public Service Announcements, like commercials, that warn people of dangerous activities and heighten their awareness of a problem. Even if people think no one pays attention to PSAs, if even one person saw and understood a PSA, it would make a difference. PSAs are an important part of the prevention of distracted driving because it heightens peoples' awareness of the

A Public Service Announcement (PSA) can help reduce the number of distracted driving accidents by explaining the horrible effects of distracted driving and the best ways to prevent distracted driving. Currently, the main source of distracted driving is cell phones. Cell phones cause a person to text, call, and use social media while driving; all factors that can be a deadly distraction while driving. A cell phone causes much distraction for the driver and may cause the driver to have a car crash that not only affects themselves, but also the surrounding people. As a community, we should be educating people about distracted driving in order to prevent the problem and decrease the number of accidents. Public Service Announcements are important as they provide people with evidence, resources to limit distraction while driving, and helpful/important information. Teenagers, children, and even adults will be able to be informed. Even though educating people through a Public Service Announcement is important, it might not be viewed by most people and will not be effective towards the younger viewers. Teenagers and even adults might dismiss a Public Service Announcement because the announcement does not grab their attention or because the person might not care.

In the scholarly journal “Distracted Driving: Prevalence, Problems, and Prevention”, Tiffany Overton, who has an MA and MPH degree, wrote a research report with her colleagues that clearly stated the impact cell phones have on drivers and provided potential solutions to the issue. They begin their report with a short introduction that briefs the acknowledgment on the negative impacts of distracted driving. Continuing on, Overton and her associates outline the topics their research report covers in means of identifying distracted driving and ways to reduce the issue in the United States. They define distracted driving as “eating, applying makeup, reading, smoking, and talking” (Overton), however, “the most prominent activity fuelling research

One way we can reduce these problems is to give law enforcement more means to stop the problem, we need to toughen our state laws to reduce the high number of crashes each year, and teens need good role models and strong drivers education course to teach them of the dangers of distracted driving before they get into the bad habits themselves. that we need to get rid of because every year the death rate of distracted driving goes up. Teens are seeing their parents doing it and they think it's ok when it’s

Many people have lost their lives on the road and caused other’s deaths because they were distracted with doing something while driving. In 2012, 3,328 people were killed in distraction-related crashes (“Statistics on Texting & Cell Phone Use While Driving” n.d.). Distractions while driving that result in these accidents include texting/making a call or becoming intoxicated and having high blood alcohol concentration. Many laws have been brought forth to help regulate the amount of people drinking while driving and using a cell phone while driving. Not only do people put their own lives in danger, they are also putting other’s lives in danger. People who take part in these distractions are not being responsible when making these rash decisions while driving and creating a hazardous environment for those around them.

Copeland’s article about teen driving claims that teens know the consequences of distracted driving. However, they continue to use their phones and participate in such behaviors. Copeland states that most

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.

Every American in the U.S has an addiction of being on a phone while driving. The Public Service Announcement (PSA), “The Danger of Texting & Driving” presents an American teenager texting and driving. This PSA shows and explains what can happen when a person is in a vehicle and on a mobile device. As mentioned previously this video demonstrates what consequences can happen as a result of any American simply looking at his or her phone while driving. However, this short video also can teach and demonstrate why anyone should not get on anything that will cause a distraction to the person who is operating the vehicle. In the PSA, “The Danger of Texting and Driving” filmed by Blue Lobster Productions, the video uses pathos which overshadows both ethos and logos regarding the subject of texting and driving.

Shot to aim directly at people who tend to disregard warnings and are most like to be distracted drivers, texting and driving PSA’s bring awareness and self consciousness to the general public as they display from moderate to severe graphic scenes on what happens when you take your eyes off of the wheel. A distracted driving PSA ad is not only one of the best ways to alert people of the consequences of unfocused driving, but it can also reduce the number of distracted driving incidents, thus keeping families not only careful and alert, but alive and safe.

In 2011 alone, 1.3 million car crashes involved the driver being distracted because they were using their phone. This is a shocking statistic and what’s even more frightening is that even though it is a big problem, people continue to drive while distracted. There are plenty of methods that the public has tried for these distracted drivers to stop. One way is through a PSA, or a Public Service Announcement. PSAs are just what it sounds like. They notify the public about a certain topic that is critical to be heard. Even though PSA’s are have not been proven to be helpful according to recent statistics, I believe that it is just a good method that takes time.

Over the years we have come to be excited and weary for the new technological advances. However, the outcome of these advances is causing major controversial debates worldwide. A paramount complication with technology has been confronted such as; Distracted Driving and the effect on this based on PSA’s. One might say the public service announcements will affect the numbers of distracted driving, while others believe that public service announcements is doing nothing to diminish the numbers of distracted drivers. With more than a handful of public service announcements on distracted driving to give knowledge of the fatal consequences, it could be argued that PSA’s have been seen yet ignored.

“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

More importantly driving laws are established to make sure and warn drivers to not be distracted while behind the wheel, in whatever they are focused on, they should stay focused solely on the roads. When narrowing down to accidents, it’s proven that distracted driving is the leading cause of death. In 2009 an estimated 25% of all injuries involved in car accidents was a result of distracted driving, the main group involved was teens behind the wheel. Teens behind the wheel with more than one passenger are more at risk into getting into accidents because of them distracting the driver, or sometimes teen solely focus on the use of their phone. It’s believed distracted driving has three main reason, visual which is taking your eyes off the road,

When it comes to someone getting behind a wheel it’s a big responsibility, you are not a passenger that could be doing different stuff you are now carrying with several lives and people are waiting for you at home. Many things cross our minds exactly when we are about to drive, but we need to learn how to ignore them and worry about getting where we supposed to be. Nowadays many accidents that occur on roads are caused by distracting driving and it seems easy to choose to do something such as: texting, eating or drinking, talking to passenger’s etcetera. “The best way to end distracted driving is to educate all Americans about the danger it poses” Not everyone realizes the danger it is being distracted while driving, but every distraction cause at least once to take our eyes off the road.

The (PSA) also has a very authentic source which incorporates its credibility with its website. In the website there are tips on how to prevent texting while driving. It also gives facts about the drivers who text, and the casualties. The organization is not biased on the count that it does not talk about a specific gender, race, or age group but in general to all drivers. The (PSA) persuades fear in the audience to not text while driving or stop texting and