The Pros And Cons Of Distracted Driving

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.

There are both cognitive and physical factors that contribute to accidents when drivers talk on their cell phones and/or text behind the wheel. The primary cognitive factor is that an individual’s attention is divided when he or she is paying attention to more than one thing at a time (Goldstein, 2011). For example, a driver’s attention is on the road and perhaps how far the car ahead of him/her is, but at the same time is also trying to read a text message on a cellular device. This divided attention reduces the reaction speed and driving performance of the driver because there are not as many cognitive resources available to focus his/her attention on the most important thing: driving. When the driver is processing

Being the cause of a cell phone related accident can leave a person unable to handle the consequences of their actions. There is great concern regarding the dangers of distracted driving. This is made evident by legislation that has been put in place in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (2011), nationwide, 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have enacted texting bans. Current data from the National Safety Council (2010) suggest that each year, at least 1.6 million traffic accidents (28% of all crashes) in the United States are caused by drivers talking on cell phones or texting. The U.S. Department of Transportation (2011) states that nine states, the District of Columbia, and

Most teens, and even adults, use their cellphones while they drive. They think a quick text or call won’t hurt while they are at a red light. They call it multitasking, and think that since they have a hand on the wheel they are fine. In the articles “How The Brain Reacts” by Marcel Just and Tim Keller, and “The Science Behind Distracted Driving” by KUTV, Austin they describe how the mind is working in the cellphone situation.

Texting and many other forms of distracted driving such as eating, answering calls, and listening to loud music can be detrimental to how you drive. Of all these texting is arguably the most dangerous. Those who feel it 's not dangerous to text and drive think they are able to multi-task good enough behind the wheel to be able to text.  Well, this is

Imagine being blindfolded for the length of a football field while driving. This would not feel very safe, right? Well, five second is the average time your eyes are off the road while sending or reading a text. When traveling at 55 mph, that is enough time to cover the length of a football field. Plus, the average amount of time it takes to get into a crash is only three seconds. 11% of all drivers under 20 that were involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted. This age group has the largest population of distracted drivers. It is not just teens, adults are also breaking the law while driving. 49% of adults say they have been passengers in a car when the driver was sending or reading texts on their cell phone. Reaching for a phone, dialing, texting and other uses of portable devices increases the risk of getting into a crash by three times. As of 2011, about 60% of drivers use cell phones while driving. There is obviously a huge chance of getting into a wreck, whether you are the one texting or not. It is not just the decision to not text and drive, but the decision to refuse to get in a car where the driver has their cell phone

"Distracted driving is not only texting, it can be a combination of many things. Anytime you take your focus off the road you are considered a distracted driver"(Teddi Dineley). "Each time you take your focus off the road, just for a second, you’re putting your life and the lives of others in danger" (Teddi Dineley). As stated in the article, “Distracted Driving: Stay Focused When on the Road,” written by Teddi Dineley Johnson, driving a car is a very complex task.

Texting while driving driving is very dangerous and or deadly. Texting or talking while driving is very deadly and mostly affects teens. “In contrast a passenger in a car is likely to be aware of the competing demands for drivers attention.” Injury facts found that the use of cellphone caused 26% of the nation’s car accidents, a modest increase from the previous year.

Talking on the phone while driving can cause many accidents. Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting or talking on the phone while driving (Cell Phone Use While Driving Statistics). Texting while driving has caused one out of every four car accidents in the United States. Drunk driving is less likely to cause an

2. Out of all cell phone related tasks texting is by far the most dangerous and 94% of drivers support a ban on texting while driving. Texting is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk. B. At any given time of the day it is estimated that nearly 660,000 drivers are attempting to use their cell phone while driving.

Distracting driving is a common occurrence with modern day drivers. Due to technological advances making electronics so easy to use on the go, many find themselves spending more time looking at their cell phone or navigation system than they do looking at the road. According to the NHTSA, distracted driving claimed the lives of 3,477 people in 2015 alone. Texting and driving is a common distraction, especially when it comes to the younger generation of drivers. Young drivers are oblivious to the dangers of what seems like such a harmless act. Studies have shown that one 1 in 4 accidents are caused by texting and driving. The number of people injured from distracted drivers in 2015 was 391,000. Over half of the nation’s car accidents are a result of texting and driving. Whereas drinking and driving may kill more people, the leading cause of car accidents is in fact texting and driving.

Car wrecks happens each and every day. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gauges distracted driving by collecting data on "distraction-affected crashes," which focuses on distractions that are most likely to affect crash involvement such as dialing a cellphone or texting and being distracted by another person or an outside event. In 2013, 3,154 people were killed in distraction-affected crashes, and 424,000 people were injured. There were 2,910 distraction-affected fatal crashes, accounting for 10 percent of all fatal crashes in the nation, 18 percent of injury crashes and 16 percent of all motor vehicle crashes in 2013 (NHTSA). (http://www.rmiia.org/auto/traffic_safety/Cost_of_crashes.asp.). Texting while driving is completely banned in 46 states plus the District of Columbia. According to the governor’s highway safety association.

Creating a technological angel on your right shoulder without building a vulnerable devil on your left ( Mangu-Ward). An argument arose between the two debates about whether technology can replace human intelligence to cut driving accidents, which itself seems as distractions responsible for them. The idea about technology responsible for distracted driving remains as a topic of debate between people from different viewpoints.

3. Studies show that texting while driving increases your chances of crashing by 20 times. Even using your phone in a hands-free mode is dangerous since it's a "cognitive distraction" which may decrease driving performance. In fact, texting and other distracted driving account for nearly 80% of all automobile accidents. The effects of car accidents can be devastating. Crashes may results in death and catastrophic injuries, including brain injuries, paralysis and severe burns.

When a cell phone is used while driving, it distracts the attention of the driver, leading to car accidents. While using a cell phone many people tend to miss traffic signals, because they are not really concentrating on driving. The process of dialing or answering the phone can make them lose control of the vehicle as well. Even though the driver is looking at the road, he or she can easily get distracted by the conversation. This can result in fatal accidents.