Persuassive Essay on Texting and Driving

One sunny day on a Houston road, the driver of a pickup truck collided with a church minibus. 13 people died, and the driver admitted he was texting and driving. Yet this happens very often. Over 330,000 car accidents happened from texting while driving in 2015. Distracted driving is very risky, because attention is drawn away from the road,

Every day in the United States around one out of ten people are killed by distracted drivers, and around 1500 are injured in some way in crashes by these irresponsible, distracted drivers. One of the most dangerous, distracting activities that many people do is texting while driving. It is extremely dangerous because people who do this are putting more attention in texting, and they take their eyes off the road while they are driving, which increases the chance that the driver can lose the control of the vehicle, and could cause a crash or even in a worst case could kill other people. When a person is texting, she/he is thinking about other things besides concentrating on driving. This is very dangerous because it could make the driver lose

According to texting and driving statistics, every year, around 330,000 people die every year from texting and driving. This is around half of all the people who pick up their phones in the first place. Being on your phone draws your attention from the road, to your phone. Doisomething.org states, “When you text and drive you are 23 times more likely to get into a crash.” All it takes is a simple act of not watching the road. Being unaware while driving can put you, and other's lives at risk or injury or even death. This can affect your future, others around you, your friends, and your family. Texting and driving is a very big deal. Don't Text Drive states “5 seconds is the minimal amount of time a driver takes their eyes off the road. If you are traveling at 55 miles an hour, this would equal the length of a football field of not

“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.” -Sharon Heit, mother of the victim of distracted driver. (https://www.pinterest.com) Texting while driving increases the risk of crashes and reduces one’s awareness and performance, also causing diversion of attention and decreases the ability to focus. As the use of devices while driving can be severely dangerous, there are countless ways to discourage this practice. For instance, being educated on the importance of safety, stricter laws and or punishments, or furthermore, using handheld free technology. By these taking place, texting and driving would become an important priority preventing drivers from causing

Imagine being blindfolded for the length of a football field while driving. This would not feel very safe, right? Well, five second is the average time your eyes are off the road while sending or reading a text. When traveling at 55 mph, that is enough time to cover the length of a football field. Plus, the average amount of time it takes to get into a crash is only three seconds. 11% of all drivers under 20 that were involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted. This age group has the largest population of distracted drivers. It is not just teens, adults are also breaking the law while driving. 49% of adults say they have been passengers in a car when the driver was sending or reading texts on their cell phone. Reaching for a phone, dialing, texting and other uses of portable devices increases the risk of getting into a crash by three times. As of 2011, about 60% of drivers use cell phones while driving. There is obviously a huge chance of getting into a wreck, whether you are the one texting or not. It is not just the decision to not text and drive, but the decision to refuse to get in a car where the driver has their cell phone

In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that “8 people are killed and 1,161 are injured daily in the United States” (CDC). At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010 (DMV). Further supporting the fact that cell phones have become such a precious commodity that it is hard to imagine everyday life without them. Cell phones alone aren’t the problem, but when you add the cell phone plus a vehicle into the mix it’s just not possible to safely reach your destination. When you are operating a motor vehicle the task requires a person’s full mental capacity, so when a person is using their phone and driving they’re splitting their focus onto two separate task. “Among the various forms of distracted driving, texting stands out as particularly dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction, requiring the driver to take his eyes off the road, remove at least one hand from the steering wheel and take his mind off the task of driving” (Gormley 91).

In the past ten years, texting and driving has become a major issue on U.S. roads. The problem has increased as smartphones have become more affordable and accessible (Full Coverage Auto Insurances). Even though 95% of drivers would agree that texting and driving is wrong, 71% of people admit to texting and driving (It Can Wait). Distracted driving is driving a vehicle while engaging in an activity that has the potential to distract the driver from the task of driving (Dictionary.com). Distracted driving is detrimental in today’s society; therefore, we need to apply some safety features that will keep everyone protected at all times. There are many helpful solutions to this problem like apps and features for

Of the many effects that texting while driving has on an individual, the most profound impact is death and the toll it takes on close relatives.In Virginia, “a five month old baby,Tristan Schulz, was killed because of a driver that had his phone in his hand and got distracted” (A Baby Is Dead in Virginia. Now Will the State Do Something about Texting While Driving?” TWP).Avoidable deaths like this happen constantly due to the careless use of cellular devices on much traveled highways/roads.So many more lives could have been spared if only that one driver had simply chosen to wait until they were no longer driving.Another tragedy that resulted from texting while driving was the loss of Stephanie Phills,37,and 26, Heather Hurd’s life when a truck driver “reaching for his hand-held device to text his office,rammed into traffic at a stop light” (Bridget, and Lebovich N.p., n.d. Web)The truck driver stop to consider the

There has been a rising concern in the last few years about the potential dangers accompanying texting while driving associated largely with the increasing number of highway fatalities. Significant efforts have been made by The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) for curtailing distracted driving including texting while driving along with public service information and announcements. As per NHTSA, driving distractions are of three different forms like manual, visual and cognitive. Manual driving distractions take off the driver’s hands off from the steering wheel (Kirszner & Mandell, 2010).

Many states prohibit texting while driving. In fact, laws have been established that prevent drivers from using their cell phone unless it is an emergency. About 73% of drivers say it is easy to text and drive, however 1.3 million car crashes are caused by texting and driving. An effort to band texting and driving in Texas is at limbo in the Senate and was one vote shy of having enough members agree to bring it to the floor. (Tinsley 1) Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo states that they are so very close and will prevent death, injuries and reduce property damage. Furthermore, she finds it difficult to believe that anyone is opposed to this. Some of the statistics of texting and driving: approximately 660,000 drivers are using cellular phones while driving. Unites States’ drivers are reported as 20% of teens using the cell phone and 10% adults using cell phones while driving. Driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (Distracted Driving 1) The Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood states distracted driving is a deadly epidemic. The most recent survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center shows just how widespread it is in almost 2/3 of the survey respondents had seen drivers in vehicles texting or on the cell in the previous 30days. Almost, 94% had observed motorist talking on a hand held phone. (Driving distracted 1) There are many

In fact, at any given time throughout the day, approximately 660,000 drivers are attempting to use their phones while behind the wheel of an automobile. Smartphones have made it easy for us to stay connected. But that can pose serious safety risks if someone decides to check his or her text messages, emails, phone calls, or any other mobile applications while driving. Cell phone distraction rates are alarmingly high. Even though teens recognize that talking or texting on a cell phone or using social media apps while driving is unsafe, they often engage in these behaviors while driving. In 2016, 10 percent of all drivers ages 15 to 19 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the

Texting and Driving has become a bigger and bigger dilemma. Many teens or people of all ages really, feel the rules don’t apply to them and they are the exception to the rule; that they are somehow untouchable and bulletproof to it all. Studies tell us differently though and show us all sorts of statistics and facts to prove otherwise. One might mistakenly believe that the offenders simply do not know much about the risks created by their behavior. Research indicates otherwise. Nearly all (94.2 percent) of those admitting to texting (or e-mailing) while driving agreed that it made them more likely to be in an accident. More troubling is the finding that more than half (54.9 percent) said it made them much more likely to have an accident. In

In 2011, one million car accidents were caused by texting and driving. Some might say that cell phone bans are not okay, because drivers do all sorts of distracting activities. Like eating, listening to music, and reading billboards so it does not make sense to ban one thing. However, it is conversations on the phone that takes people’s attention from the road. Conversations that require more thought cause more distraction. The longer the call, the more the driver concentrates on the call instead of the road.

Most people know it’s illegal to text and drive and that it's dangerous. Yet texting, and driving has become a normal type of behavior, doctor Seiler survey found that passenger’s that ride with friends or family members that text and drive without anything going wrong are more likely to text and drive as well. Drivers that are deciding to break the law are also affecting their passengers to engage in this type of risky behaviors. Quisenberry states in his article that texting while driving actually impairs a driver more than a person under the influence while driving. The center of disease control estimates that nine people die every day because of distracted driving and just a little over a thousand are injured. Many cell phone companies have joined “It Can Wait” campaigns such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile to advise and teach young driver the serious consequences of driving while distracted by making a pledge not to text email, or surf the web while being behind of the wheel (Quisenberry). April is “Distracted Driving Month”, but despite the countless widespread of campaigns urging people

We all are probably aware that texting and talking on the phone is a distraction to all drivers and can be very dangerous. Also, we all know there are many other distractions besides texting and driving, and any type of technology can cause a driver to be distracted. Forty-one percent of all drivers use their hands to text in the car while driving according to Greg Gardner (52). It can cause people to forget about pedestrians or their surrounding areas. People who are distracted often aren’t focused and don’t have both hands on the wheel. According to Bryan Wilson, people may say that