Texting While Driving Research Paper

Texting while driving puts everyone in danger because it takes your attention away from the task of driving. According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) in 2015 there were 3,477 deaths and another 391,000 injuries caused by distracted driving in the United States, and that’s just in one year. While this

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 cell phones are easy to be pointed out as a problem, but statistics show the damage cell phones can do to a person while they are driving (6). According to Simon Usborne, time spent not looking at the road while talking on the phone is 15% of the time (68). Also, while texting and driving the time spent not looking at the road is 30% of the time (Usborne 69). As technology improves more and more people may feel the need to use their cell phones while driving. According to Melissa Healy, cell phone use can be as dangerous as drunk driving (42). Tests should be done to compare the various ways of sober people under the influence driving also to compare the impact of texting and driving. This would give us a better understanding of just how dangerous driving and being on our phone really is.

This includes the House Bill 1013 which went into effect back in October. It bans any driver of a motor vehicle to engage in text messaging. A few other states that ban the use of a cell phone while driving are Illinois, California, New York, and Indiana has a ban on any one under the age of 18.

Not only is texting while behind the wheel bad enough itself, many people compare the danger level to drunk driving. Driving while intoxicated at the same time is illegal, just as some believe texting while driving should be as well. Larry Copeland states that after a study was conducted at The University of Utah, it showed that driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08% is equal to texting and driving. If people were more aware of how closely related texting while driving and drunk driving are, it would help to inform all drivers on safety behind the wheel. Not only are distracted drivers harming themselves, yet they are putting every other driver on the road in the same dangerous position without realizing it.

The majority of the people in the world don’t intentionally put themselves in dangerous situations, yet tragedies occur every day. Each year a motorcycle hill climbing competition is held in New Plymouth, Idaho called the Big Nasty Hill Climb. On September 19, 2009 my sister’s best friend Lacy Fine set out for a day of fun with her cousin Brittani and her cousin’s boyfriend Carlos to watch the hyped up event. She’s never been the most cautious person because her attention span is that of someone with ADHD or a stereotypical airhead. I say this with love in my heart, because she was literally a part of my family and would never purposefully hurt someone. I can

Texting and driving has become a recent issue in today's society and is one of the largest epidemics to sweep our nation. The progression of text messaging, with more capable phones and larger numbers of people engaging than ever before, has turned into one of the largest distractions in our world. Many teens, as well as adults, have formed a habit of using their cell phones while driving their cars. Several people do not think that a quick text or even a glance at a phone while they are driving will do any harm. A great bit of accidents has taken place due to a careless individual that decided to look at their phone while they were in the process of driving. These days, phones have gotten even more

In today’s day and age, technology has drastically increased. People seem to rely on the use of their devices more than anything. Typically, whenever and wherever, everyone is engaged in some form of technology, cell phones in particular. From pagers, to car phones, to initial “flip-phones”, and now to smart-phones, people practically use up most of their daily time with these devices. Nowadays, a lot of people doesn’t even like to have phone conversations…they can deliver their entire thought through a simple text message. In some retrospect, that’s a very good thing; in others, it can be extremely crucial, especially when it comes to texting and driving. Texting and driving has been the leading cause of car accidents in the recent years,

About 24,000 injuries per year along with 995 deaths are caused by cell phones (Driving). Texting while driving is more dangerous than driving under the influence. Many risks develop when people text while driving or drive while intoxicated. Some risks include the following: crashes, money, and possibly even death.

According to the National Safety Council, nearly 28 percent of all vehicle accidents can be tied back to talking on a phone or texting,

while driving because of experience or levels of practice.” As beings that multitask daily duties flawlessly and with grace, texting while driving is not a flawless and graceful task. In conclusion, preventative measures such as the use of cell phone apps that prevent and encourage drivers to not text and drive, stricter laws and penalties, and education of the dangers of texting while driving will hopefully prevent and decrease drivers to not text while drive.

If I were to convince a friend to stop texting and driving, I would not start by throwing a whole bunch of statistics at that individual. As a teenager myself, I know for a fact that other teenagers know the consequences of texting while driving yet, they continue to do so. There is no way telling a teenager what they should and should not do is simply not going to cut it. I want to touch their hearts and truly make my friend concerned about the seriousness of texting while driving. Because I know it is no joke. This is what I would say: “You have only one life and that life deserves to be cherished. Take the risk out of the equation and just focus on driving. Texting someone else in that very moment while driving cannot only put your life in

The second reason of why texting while driving should be made illegal is that it is as dangerous, or even more dangerous than driving under the influence of alcohol. In a research study it has been proven that even with a hands-free device, talking on a phone can impair driving skills more than driving under the influence of alcohol does (Saletan 3) because when under the influence the driver does not lose sight from the road and constantly knows what is going on around him, even though his judgment has been impaired and his reaction time has been slowed down. In contrast, texting while driving makes you lose sight from the road which makes the drivers reaction time much longer than someone driving under the influence and can make him end up in a very bad accident.

If you can go to jail for drunk driving because it puts other people in

Why is it so important to understand the dangers of texting and driving? According to statistics, people who text and drive are twenty-three times more likely to be engaged in a car crash; therefore, no matter your age or how long you have been driving it is always imperative to keep your complete focus on the road. Texting while operating a vehicle has become the number one hindrance for many people. Texting while driving can cause harm to not only you, but also your family and even complete strangers as well.

alone every year. The issue of driving while talking on a cell phone has become serious enough that five states have passed laws prohibiting this type of act and making it a primary offense to do so. Not only are drivers talking behind the wheel, but many have admitted to engaging in even more potentially dangerous behavior with their phones such as text messaging and surfing the internet. A distracted driver is a dangerous one. If you are focused on a conversation and your eyes are not on the road, drivers cannot be expected to make a quick and safe decision should the need for one arise. The behavior of a driver while using a cell phone has been compared to that of one driving while under the influence. Studies have shown that those who use a cell phone while driving are four times more likely to be involved in a crash than those who don’t.