Introduction Texting by adults has increased over the past months from 65% of adults sending and receiving texts in September 2009 to 72% texting in May 2010. Still, adults do not send nearly the same number of texts per day as teens ages 12-17, who send and receive, on average, 5 times more texts per day than adult texters (Lenhart, 2010). Many people wonder what the affects of being on a cell phone while driving are. Does being on your cell phone while driving actually increase your chances of having an accident? According to an article, The National Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors, “Almost half (48%) of drivers report answering their cell phone when driving at least some of the time. Two in 5 drivers (40%) report never answering their phones while driving.” (Schroeder, 2012) This shows that there is a good amount of people that do use their phone while driving. According to the latest research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 alone, there were 5,870 fatalities and an estimated 515,000 people were injured in police-reported crashes in which at least one form of driver distraction was reported (Lenhart, 2010). Cell phones have been around for a while now, for this reason they have become a major part of our lives. People use cell phones for just about everything in today’s world: calling people, texting, planning daily schedules, playing games, and Internet surfing. With all the phones today being smart phones
These little handheld devices are useful tools that today’s generation is lucky to have, but they can cause grave danger. They can even decide whether you live another minute. In all cases, it is not this extreme, see however, it is. According to U.S. cell phone and driving statistics in 2012, 3,328 people died in cell-phone distraction-related crashes. About 421,000 obtained injuries in crashes involving a distracted driver. Since that survey numbers have only kept increasing. This statistic alone makes the situation a little clearer and establishes a concrete reason why Wyoming needs to eliminate cell-phone usage behind the wheel.
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.
Is the use of a cell phone worth the risk on the roadway? Cell phones have become an integral part of our daily life. With the increase of technology of cell phones, it makes our daily lives easier and more efficient. Multitasking results in those tasks competing for the driver’s attention, diverting the driver’s attention away from the roadway. The use of cell phones of any kind impairs a driver’s decision-making ability. The driver’s attention and their ability to process anything besides driving are suppressed. Their mind is divided as soon as their attention is focused on the obsession of their cell phone rather than the road. Cell phone drivers are stretched beyond safe limits when multitasking of driving and talking or texting with a cell phone which then becomes unsafe. Most drivers over-estimate their capability to safely multitask and assuming they have this ability is a hazard. Is it really worth it to endanger yourself or others while driving with a cell phone? Some people don 't realize the danger of this until something happens to them, a family member, or friend of theirs.
The act of sending electronic messages or texting is easily accessible to anyone that owns a cell phone. Often people are seen with the cell phone in one hand and texting while walking, eating in a restaurant with friends, working or shopping. It has become a part of everyday life. The convenience and the need to stay connected has made texting a useful method of communicating, that has increased dramatically with teenagers. “Adolescents report that texting is the most common way that they stay in contact with friends, sending an average of a hundred texts per day” (Delgado para. 1). This includes texting while driving. The effects of distracted driving from texting include legal penalties, increase in insurance premiums, motor vehicle crashes, and even death. Texting while driving has become a major problem in the United State and a simple LOL can have serious consequences.
With new technology being introduced on almost a daily basis, it needs to be decided what ways are safe to use that technology. Advanced technology has created an abundance of things that can be used while driving. The most popular technology used while driving is the cell phone. Although it was invented in the 1970s, the cell phone did not gain momentum until the 2000s. Even during its first days, the effect of a cell phone distraction was already in the spotlight (Brown, Tickner & Simmonds, 1969). Allowing people to talk wherever and whenever, it became important to ensure this technology was not harming society. Driving is a complex cognitive task. Since its use boomed in the 21st century, several road problems and accidents were linked
In 2009, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving (FARS and GES). Of those people killed in distracted-driving-related crashes, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). Of those injured in distracted-driving-related crashes, 24,000 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (5% of injured people in distraction-related crashes). Sixteen percent of fatal crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. Twenty
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.
The number of people of people wounded or killed in distracted driving accidents due to cell phone use. What is crazy is that everyone is aware of the danger of this cell phone use, but for many, especially young adults, the constant need to check their cell phone to respond to a text, email, call, or to use the internet, outweighs the possible consequences. Some reasons might be that they feel like they can handle both or feel like a hands-free call isn’t dangerous, but the truth is that all forms of cell phone use while driving are dangerous and should not be allowed. Since these accidents account for % of distracted driving accidents, I want to talk a little about what distracted driving is, the three main types, and how they apply to each type of cell phone use.
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
Nearly everyone is using cell phones in their day routine lives. Cell phones have now become less of a novelty and more of a communication tool providing many utilities all in one package, from camera, video games, internet and apps; they combine business and personal convenience.
Texting and Driving is very dangerous many people die because of being distracted while driving. “Texting demographics” topics facts that the average teen male sends about 20 text a day. Texting and driving has received much attention people are dying everyday due to distracted drivers. This will be avoided if people pay more attention and just stay off their phone while on the road.
Texting while driving has become a persistent issue in society because of new technologies that make picking up a phone convenient, but also dangerous. Many teens as well as adults have formed a habit of using their cell phones while driving their vehicles. The act of composing, sending or reading a text message interrupts a person’s attention while driving which causes visual, cognitive, and manual distractions. Texting while driving may seem harmless, however it is responsible for serious injuries and even fatalities. Because texting while driving has become an epidemic, society has been forced to come up with solutions which could correct this issue.
Is it really important to send that text or check that email while you are driving? Since 2013, texting while driving has been a threat to every driver on the road through the United States. Charles Moore says in “Texting While Driving Is More Dangerous than Driving under the Influence” that texters’ reaction times deteriorate by 35%, and their steering ability decreases by 91%. In 2010, about 4,000 people died from cell phone distraction related crashes. Most of these crashes were related to teens. In 2009 American Life Project published a report that focused on teens and distracted driving. This report showed that 75% of teens own a cell phone, and of those, 34% admit to texting while driving, 48% say they were a passenger of a car when a driver was texting.
As time advances, so does technology. Advances in technology reveal a variety of problems throughout lives all around the world. Texting and driving is at an all time high, and although society welcomes a technology-centered future, it inevitably endures repercussions as well. The use of cell phones while driving has been studied persistently throughout the past couple of years at universities across the United States. Statistics show that texting and driving has an excessively negative impact within various aspects of our society including the main aspect: safety.
Cell phones have developed over the years to become not only a way to talk with others, but to have forms of entertainment, social media, and other means of communication. Many people today only rely on their phones or computers, and