Informative Essay On Distracted Driving

“Distracted driving refers to any nondriving activity that takes motorists ' attention away from the safe operation of their vehicles” (Leone). Every time a driver gets in a vehicle and decides to use a cell phone to have a conversation, either talking or texting, they put themselves and others lives in danger. The convenience a cell phone and the capabilities they offer have made them a substantial distraction and a cause of significant source of vehicle accidents and fatalities. There are three different types of distractions: visual, manual and cognitive. Cell phone use is the most dangerous distraction because it involves all three different types of distraction and plays a part in the increasing issue of distracted driving. Even

Drivers can practice several safety tips to help them navigate the road more safely. First, use your cell phone for emergency situations only.  Pull over to the right shoulder to make the important call.  Next, limit the number of passengers in the car.  It is a good idea after a football game for a group of teenagers to drive around town texting and driving.  Driving with friends can create a dangerous driving situation because drivers are focused on their friends rather than on the road.  Finally, avoid eating while driving.  Food spills are a major cause of distraction.  Pick up a big Mac and fries on your way home and eat it while you navigate the heavy traffic.  Finding the extra fries in the bottom of the bag will taste good as you rear end the car stopping suddenly in front of you.

Distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents in America, followed by speeding, then drunk driving. A study performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTAS) found that 80% of car crashes were a direct result of distracted driving. There are three types of distractions for drivers: visual, cognitive, and manual. Cell phone usage whilst driving meets all three criteria for a distracted driver. When a person is using a phone they will take their eyes away from the road to look at the device (visual), they will think about the content of what they are looking at and take their mind off of the road (cognitive), and they will also take their hands off of the wheel to use the device (manual). There are many other reasons that can be attributed to distracted driving, like applying make-up or loud passengers in the car, but cell phone usage is becoming a rapidly growing concern, especially with younger drivers. The NHTAS identified that drivers under the age of 20 make up the highest proportion of distracted drivers that were involved in fatal crashes.

Distracted driving is a broad term to describe all of the distractions one can experience while behind the wheel of a vehicle. There are several distractions that can happen inside a vehicle. A common example of a distraction that can be experienced is texting while driving.The concept of people getting distracted while driving is certainly not a new one. There have been reports of accidents occuring as a result of a distracted drivers ever since the time of the first car. Though granted that

The risks of distracted driving are great and lead to unfathomable results. According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), there are three main types of distracted driving. The first is visual - taking your eyes off of the road. The second is manual- taking your hands off of the wheel, and the third is cognitive - taking your mind off of driving (CDCP). While all of these exist amongst distracted drivers, the major distraction for most people is visual and manual. For example, whether an individual is changing the radio or the most common and dangerous thing, texting; particularly because texting involves all three forms. It involves

Distracted driving occurs when a driver operates a motor vehicle while engaged in another activity that divides his or her attention (Distracted ).

Retrieved April 10, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/ The Centers for Disease Control has a page on its website that discusses the many different distractions that can occur while driving. There are three different types of and they are visual, manual, and cognitive distractions. The CDC explains that texting and driving is the leading cause of distracted driving and is a combination of all three distractions and takes your hands off of the wheel as well as your eyes and mind off of the road.

Electronic devices and cell phones are the most easily recognized ways to become distracted while driving. But the federal government looks at anything that can detract from your visual, manual and cognitive attention, and includes some additional factors.

If it is important you should pull over to the side of the road or even wait until you can get to your destination. According to, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) classifies the most common driver distraction into three categories.These categories are cognitive, visual and manual distractions. Cognitive distraction is when your mind is not focused on driving. This can include daydreaming, talking on the phone, listening to music and even having a conversation with someone else. Visual distraction is defined as anything outside the vehicle such as an accident or flashing light that causes the driver to take their eyes off the road to pay attention to the object or situation. This type of distraction is common in all age groups where everyone will use their GPS and phone. Manual distraction is when you take one or both hands off the wheel at anytime while driving due to eating, drinking, adjusting a GPS/ phone or reaching for something. All these distractions can seem like a minor distraction but can lead to a fatal

“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

Manual distractions are when the driver takes their hands off the wheel to do something other than driving.  Manual distractions are the easiest to avoid, because the driver can make the choice to not do something.  People do not think that messing with an iPod can cause dangers.  Although, if the driver thinks about it, it is just the same as messing with a cell phone which is the same distraction.  According to the Department of Transportation (2012), “sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds.  This is the equivalent to driving at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field blind” (para. 8). There are so many distractions out there that people do them everyday without even thinking that they are endangering themselves and innocent bystanders.

Visual distraction of this nature is anything that requires the driver to take his or her eyes away from the road. Manual distraction involves the driver removing his or her hands from the steering wheel. Cognitive distraction forces the driver to think about something other than driving safely (Goldfarb, 2010). These skills are critical when safely operating a motor vehicle that requires concentration, coordination, and prompt, immediate responses to sensory input.

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.

Lastly, cell phone use while driving should be banned because it can become dangerous for oneself as well as others on the road. Not only does cell phone use for drivers endanger other people, it endangers the life of the operator itself. Drivers can run off the road into trees, ditches, or poles; they may also run into other cars or drift into oncoming traffic. Using a cell phone while driving also puts other drivers on the road in danger; if a driver is texting, their eyes are on their phone and they may not see the car in front of them stopping, which will lead into a wreck that could injury someone.

The use of cell phone is very dangerous for drivers while driving. The drivers are supposed to be alert and concentrated to their ambient surrounding. The use of cell phone catch their attention and make them less alert to their surrounding which can lead to serious destruction. The use of cell phone is more dangerous than the use of alcohol while driving. Because it took half a second longer for a cell phone users to react than a normal person and one third of a second longer than a persons in drunken condition.