Pros And Cons Of 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

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.

Distracted driving is the number one leading cause to accidents. Whether it be texting, calling, conversing, eating, grooming or reading. The National Safety Council, NSC, says that one in four car accidents are because of cell phones. Initial data from the National Safety Council estimates that as many as 40,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016. That marks a six percent increase over 2015 and a fourteen percent increase over 2014. That is the most dramatic two year escalation in the past fifty three years.

1). Texting and using a cell phone are the two most common distractions while driving (“Distracted” para. 1). It Can Wait campaign has started to stop drivers from using handheld devices (“Distracted” para. 3). Distractions affect one’s driving performance (“Distracted” para. 5). Drivers are distracted around half the time they drive (“Distracted” para. 5).15% to 25% of crashes on all levels are caused by distraction (“Distracted” para. 5). Texting increases the driving risk, even more than regular cell phone use (“Distracted” para. 5). When cops fill out crash reports, the states should keep track of them (“Distracted” para. 6). There are many distraction while driving that may cause the driver to take focus off the road (“Distracted” para. 8). Some distraction that everyone does is : changing the radio or a CD, talking to passenger, and observing the event outside the vehicle (Distracted para. 8). There are effects on telematics on driving behaviors (“Distracted” para. 9). Some say that the electronic device companies need to inform the public about the real use of these devices (“Distracted” para.

Distracted driving has been the most recent cause of accidents on the road presently. Of course there are many other reasons why drivers get into accidents, but it is mainly because they get distracted. Police in El Cerrito, California even gave more than 600 citations in April to drivers for distracted driving violations (“El Cerrito”).Also,“nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in the U.S. due to drivers being distracted”(“Distracted”).Distracted driving today causes many accidents through the use of technology, eating and drinking, and children in the backseat.

Distracted driving is an issue everywhere. The number one form of distracted driving is using a phone, and it is becoming more of an issue everyday. According to an article “driver distractions” 80% of crashes and 65% of near crashes involve some form of driver distraction that occurred three seconds before the vehicle crash. The main causes that lead to the crashes are reaching for moving objects inside the vehicle, looking at an object or event outside the vehicle, reading, or cell phone use. Cell phone use is the number one reason for distracted driver crashes so, it is the topic that will be covered.

In 2014, 2,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. This trend is being continued by the younger and newer generation, as distracted driving has been a big temptation for teens. Eighty-six percent of the eighty-two percent of American teens who own cell phones have admitted to either being on a call or responding to a text while driving. It’s even more alarming that as of 2014, seventy-seven percent claim that they are confident that they can handle distractions while driving. Distracted driving is pretty explanatory; the process of being distracted while driving any motorized vehicle. Anyone can be part of a distracted driving incident; it can be the driver, the passengers in the vehicle and even other people in surrounding vehicles. There are a few ways to make sure drivers would be able to drive and give their complete attention to the road, such as educating the public, and restricting the inattentiveness of the driver. However, it is necessary for the states to enforce laws that reduce distracted driving because frequent multitasking can have a negative effect on the brain’s ability to focus, and distracted driving puts the safety of the driver and the people around them at risk.

While driving was developing into a more popular and affordable means of transportation, cell phone use was rapidly increasing in and out of automobiles. The combination of these technologies resulted in a large amount of cellular based distractions; consequently, they can cause serious injuries and in extreme cases death. In Cohen’s “Deadly Distraction” and Leone’s “Taking on Distracted Driving”, the authors discuss the severity of utilizing a cellular device while operating an automobile. Both of these articles were written to accomplish a similar objective: to inform the public of the negative effects on the community of distracted driving. Everyone in society is affected by distracted driving

“ Distracted driving kills” ( Distracted driving7). Distracted driving affects people of all ages but, “ our youngest and most inexperienced drivers are most at risk” ( Distracted driving7). This happens as soon as a person enters their vehicle and start to drive. Their eyes begin to go off the road which soon causes a head to head collision. Later on as technology improves and advances, cell phones have become the most common type of distracted driving such as eating or drinking or watching videos on their phone for an example, “ because text messaging requires visual, manual and conductive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarm distraction” (Distracted driving 5). This shows that many are risking their life and others around

Distracted Driving ranks at the forefront of many drivers thinking for traffic safety. 80% of drivers at the AAA foundation say that distracted driving is a serious problem, and a behavior that makes them feel less safe on the road. 50% of the people say that they feel less safe this year than they did 5 years ago because distracted driving has increased. Federal estimates say that 16% of the fatal crashes are due to distracted driving, leading to around 5,000 deaths each year. Research has concluded that distraction lasts about 27 seconds longer, which means even after a driver puts down their phone, they aren’t fully engaged in their driving tasks. AAA believes that by educating the public on how mental and physical distractions can impair

Each one of us is surrounded by many different distractions each day, hour, minute, and even every second. These distractions become an issue when they affect the safety of other people, which can especially happen while driving. Distracted driving is a major problem today, mostly because of cell phones, but there are many other activities or objects that can be distracting to a driver, impacting themselves and other drivers on the road. Distracted driving causes many deaths and injuries each year, and could easily be avoided if drivers took more responsibility for their actions while driving, avoiding any distractions that take their attention away from driving, which threatens the safety of other drivers.

Using a cell phone while driving has become the biggest manual distraction while driving.  According to a study, conducted by The University of Utah (2013),

Distracted driving is second on the list and is expected to rise in years to come (Wilson &Stimpson, 2010). In 2008, one in every six fatal crashes was a result of distracted driving. Studies showed that drivers who text and drive were 23 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash (Wilson &Stimpson, 2010). Approximately 660,000 drivers are manipulating some kind of electronic device or cell phone while driving on U.S. highways (Wilson &Stimpson, 2010). In 2012, 3328 fatalities and 421,000 injuries were a result of this hazardous behavior (Wilson &Stimpson,

Distracted driving is one of the top causes of car accidents. In today’s society, we are so consumed in our phones, radios, mirrors, and food that we lose focus of what is most important at the time. While it may seem like just a moment when we take a peek at our text message, all it takes is one second to lose control of your vehicle. Engaging in other activities while driving not only puts your life at risk, but others in the car and on the road as well. Luckily, there are a few measures that can be taken to prevent being distracted while driving.

Studies conducted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that using a cell phone while driving significantly impairs a driver’s reaction time and triples the risk of being involved in a crash or near-crash, and text messaging increases crash risk by a multiple of 8 for all ages (NHTSA, 2009). Situational awareness is significantly decreased while engaging in distracted driving, and in turn inattention blindness is increased drastically creating a potentially deadly situation on the roads. A driver who is multitasking has less brain function available and thus literally fails to see or pay attention to things that are squarely in the field of vision (Texting and Driving, 2010). On the other hand there are those that may be able to multitask successfully though the challenge is