Social Media's Impact On Distracted Driving

While most Americans would never consider getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after having a drink or riding in a vehicle driven by a drunk driver, a much higher percentage of Americans, both teens and adults, admit to using their phone while operating a vehicle or being passengers in a vehicle driven by a distracted driver. It’s a dangerous and terrible habit American drivers have developed and accepted. With technology at driver’s fingertips, drivers are becoming more and more tempted to take their focus off the road, an action that they by-and-large assume to be harmless and while there is a social stigma against drunk driving due to decades of debate and legislation, distracted driving is more widely

Things are not all bad, though. Laws concerning the use of phones in cars, and more specifically texting while driving are finally starting to see the light of day. According to Anne McCartt, the senior vice president of research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a ban on hand-held phones in New York reduced use of such devices by about fifty percent. That was until use was re-measured the next year, finding that the “decline had dissipated substantially” (Politico). McCartt speculates this is due to poor enforcement, as a similar ban in Washington D.C. resulted in another fifty percent decline, only this one was sustained for more than a year after the law was put in place. Clearly strong enforcement is important, and well worth it; a fifty percent reduction in use of cell phones while driving is

In her blog titled “Total Cell Phone Ban is a Bad Idea”, Bonnie discusses why it is important to be able to use a cell phone while driving. You may need it for safety reason, in case of an emergency, or to report a crime. The only people that should be reprimanded are those who endanger the lives of others by irresponsibly talking on their phone. (Sesolak, B. 2009). This is a credible source because it comes from an organizational website and Bonnie is a director for the NMA.

Plenty of people are losing their daughters, sons, or other family members because of either distracted driving or drinking and driving. Both are a big issue. Not only are people getting hurt, but parents also suffer when their children get into an accident. People do not think about the people they are hurting because of their actions. People need to take care and drive safely each time they are behind the wheel. Five seconds is the average time someone’s eyes are off the road while they are texting (“Facts and Statistics”). The majority of teens respond to a text message at least once or more every time they drive. Teens have the tendency of responding to a text message when they are driving or even when they are on their social media. Cell phone use while driving might be as or more dangerous than driving under the influence of

The top cause of car accidents currently is because of technology. Cellphones are the main technology that distracts drivers. Drivers usually have the tendency to want to answer a call or look down at the phone to read a text message and it is of constant habit, but in those tiny seconds an accident is bound to occur. According to the survey of 800 teenagers the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project conducted 34% of teen texters ages 16-17 said they have texted while driving (Kiesbye 11). This means a lot of teenagers now are constantly texting while driving and it is safe to say it is not good thing. “Nearly 28 percent of all vehicle crashes can be tied to talking on a cell phone or texting, according to the National Safety Council” (Jackson). A GPS can cause a very big distraction, especially going to a place you have never been to, where you have the tendency

Kratsas stated that according to the National Safety Council’s Annual injury and fatality report, 26% of the accident in the United States are caused by the use of cellphones. Using cellphones while driving has been a chronic problem in America. The U.S. government of transportation have been trying to make laws that forbid using cellphones behind the wheel. According to an article by Marino, “10 states plus D.C prohibit all drivers from using handheld cellphones, 32 states and D.C. prohibit novice drivers from cell phone use, and 30 states plus D.C. prohibit all drivers from text messaging.” Even though there are laws that forbid

Personally, growing up around new technological advances such as the rise of social media has impacted my own life because I have seen friends of mine become distracted while driving firsthand, for this reason, I believe as a nation we should take action to minimize accidents caused by this epidemic. Some ways we can begin this effort is by teaching the negative consequences of distracted driving by accordingly enforcing laws, instituting fines, as well as making its awareness a mandatory topic in drivers ed classes and in driving tests throughout the country. Although as a society before driving we should encourage silencing our cell phones, using driving apps to avoid distractions, or setting up priority settings beforehand for emergency calls or notifications. By using a combination of assets such as law enforcement, government mandates, societal influence, phone settings, and spreading awareness we can better educate the public and end distracted driving.

Living in a world full of new technology being made and thought of is starting to be the main cause of why the universe is losing so many of our teens and young adults to texting and driving Technology is also improving in different ways that people can not keep up with it. In 2013 about 3,154 people died in an accident with a distracted driver(CDC Prevention). Many laws have been issued to decrease the amount of deaths by distracted drivers. On September 30, 2009 President Barack Obama made an executive order banning federal employees to not text and drive on government business or equipment (CDC Prevention). States are trying to create laws to ban inexperienced drivers and adults from being distracted while driving to lower the amount of

Across the country, most states have laws prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. Research shows that cell phone use while driving significantly

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

Distracted driving is equivalent to the use of cell phones, laptops, games in the car, the use of radio system including an intense conversation with a passenger. Certainly the habit of using cell phones associated texting and driving is the worst distraction and cause thousands of deaths each year around the United State. Most states in the United States have begun to create different types of laws against this kind, but so far these laws have not been effective. According to the Department of Transportation studies in only 4 states (CA, LA, MN and WA) it showed that the low-level laws implementation against texting and driving contributed to an increase in the statistics of accidents and deaths attributed to texting and driving (2014 p. 1). The Department of Transportation states that this increase in numbers is associated to those people that have chosen to avoid being seen went using their electronic devices looking away for much longer after the laws was imposed, this cause major incidents on the road. In these same studies conducted by the Department of Transportation indicate that the implementation of more stringent laws decreased the number of accidents and deaths caused by texting and driving.

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

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,

The majority of accidents involve drivers distracted by hand held or hands free cell phones. Cell phone use while driving is dangerous because it increases car crashes, poses a higher risk of danger, and it affects a driver's driving performance. In 2013, the nation's biggest cell phone companies launched the first joint advertising campaign against texting and driving. Verizon, Sprint, and T-mobile, united behind At&T’s “It can wait” campaign. Distracted driving is dangerous not only to the driver but to everyone in the car.

Driving is one of the many luxuries we have available in this country. According to the Federal Highway Administration, there are over 210 million licensed drivers in the United States. Of those 210 million motorists how many do you think are distracted right now? It is true that the number one cause of distracted driving stems from hand held devices such as: cell phones, radios, iPad, food, make-up, books, and ect. According to the National NPA, 80% of drivers rate distracted driving as a very serious threat to their safety; texting while driving has the highest crash risk of all forms of distracted driving; drivers using a hand-held device are four times more likely to cause a crash serious enough to cause injury; an estimated