The Negative Effects Of Texting And Driving

Every day there are many that are killed from texting and driving. So many people get injured or even killed because of texting and driving. Several people are addicted to their phones, especially teens. Teens are obsessed with their phones, they are always waiting for some to text them back. Texting and driving is a distraction that everyone should avoid because it can result in injury or death to oneself or others. This may result in property damage, and the probability for one to receive legal consequences.

Wouldn’t you agree that texting and driving is a big issue nowadays? Many drivers are so caught up in their phones that they risk their lives and the lives of others just so that they could answer a simple text message. Now that this problem is becoming so big, it should have severe consequences. People who text and drive should get license suspension for six months and get $500 for the first violation and $1000 for the second violation.

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.

Texting and driving was and continues to be one of the major factors of car accidents in America’s population. In the following advertisement named, “Phone in one hand, Ticket in the other” it is noted that texting and driving are frowned upon in our society, and the authorities are giving citizens tickets for texting and driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had created and promoted this ad to help decrease car accidents involving texting and driving, by informing the reader, you will be ticketed if you are caught being on your phone while driving a vehicle. The ad was first campaigned April 2015 by NHTSA. There are two messages being portrayed in this advertisement. First, the text of the ad, gets the audience thinking about two possible consequences of texting and driving. Secondly, the images demonstrate what may take place if you are using a cell phone while on the road. Lastly, both the text and images work together to get the message across that if you are caught texting and driving, you will be ticketed, and the use of a cellular device while driving can lead to a car accident. The, “Phone in one hand, Ticket in the other” ad successfully portrays its reasoning for being invented, and I believe the presence of this ad will decrease the amounts of accidents in America.

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,

Have you ever lost a close friend or family member from them texting and driving or someone else texting and driving? I am sure you have been one to text and drive also as much as we hate to admit it. Would you want to be the one who killed yourself or someone just because of that one text? I have personally known two young girls who have been killed from texting and driving. Both were on the same road exactly five months apart. Here is why I believe every state needs a no texting and driving law to ensure that our roads are safe from those individuals who insist on texting while driving.

magine being at an intersection, and just when you think no one is there, you proceed to step on the gas, and you get text from your friend saying “ Where you at bro?” thinking since it’s your friend you look down at your phone for a split second, but then you lose focus and let go of the wheel slightly and end up turning onto the other lane which put in a dangerous situation, luckily there wasn 't any cars coming. These are the type of disasters that texting while driving can cause.

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.

Why are there so many accidents by teens and adults on highways and neighborhood streets because they were distracted by a phone call, email, or text message? I feel that texting while driving need be made illegal in all cities in every state because there are so many deaths as a result to texting while driving. After some research to find out how many states have passed a law to ban texting while driving shows that only thirty-nine states have the ban. Eleven states have a partial ban or no ban at all. After uncovering all the information needed to understand how many states have the ban, I really think our government should pass a law in every state to ban texting while driving. Until cell phones and texting came in the picture of our lives, there have been deaths or major injuries in accidents due to a distraction from the phone.

Looking down at a cell phone for that amount of time while driving “has resulted in nearly 1.6 million accidents annually around the United States” (Jackson). Risking the lives of other innocent drivers by texting and driving shows selfishness and should result in punishment. Simply waiting until an individual reaches a destination, or even just waiting until stopped at a red light to send a text would drastically increase the safety of everyone on the road. Texting and driving may result in possible injuries, or even fatalities while operating an automobile.

Don’t text and drive. Keep your phone out of your hand. There are about 1..3 million crashes involving phones per year. Texting while driving is dangerous because people overestimate their abilities.

The message I chose to analyze is texting and driving, and the many dangers surrounded by it. I selected this message because people need to become more aware of how serious the issue is and the increasing number of fatalities that are resulting due to texting and driving. Did you know that texting takes your eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds? At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field blindfold (Distraction.Gov). Now just envision that you are driving to the grocery store and you receive a text message from someone. You check the road ahead of you and everything seems to be flowing smoothly so you glance down to reply to the message. Then as you look back up, all of the sudden there is a huge traffic jam but it is too late for you to stop and you smash into the vehicle ahead of you.

A study of perceived risk in middle and late age groups with respect to texting and driving

Today, texting while driving out numbers the amount of drunk driving according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Texting while driving is six times more likely to cause a wreck than drunk driving. You are 23 times more likely to wreck if you are texting. Texting while driving is equal to driving bind for 5 seconds each text. Out of the worlds’ population of over 7 billion, at any given moment all over the world, over 800,000 drivers are texting. Drivers think they can handle looking away for a second to reply, or read a message. By doing this you are decreasing your break reaction time by 18% (national). “The concentration needed for safe driving makes texting safely at the same time impossible” (Bratsis 70). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (C.D.C.)

Does it seem like everywhere you go people are preoccupied with texting? Often people are seen with the cell phone in one hand and texting while walking, in a restaurant eating 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. According to Dr. Delgado, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Perelman School of Medicine, “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” (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.