Why Is Texting Important?

Texting while driving puts many driver’s lives in danger daily. Multiple people feel that staying connected to the outside world is more important than focusing on the road ahead, although it is not. It can harm others on the road who are doing nothing other than trying to make it to their destination safely. If people would open their eyes to the dangers of texting while driving, less car accidents would take place every year and the roads would be much safer. Distracted drivers need to know the position they put others in as well as themselves. While behind the wheel, drivers should never direct their attention to their cell phone, and should always keep their eyes on the road.

Texting driving is as dangerous as guns there are more accidents caused by texting and driving then there are injuries caused by firearms (Law Center). That's the biggest reason why texting and driving is such a huge problem. At any point throughout the day there are approximately 660,000 people on their phones while driving (Edgar Snyder & Associates). The reason for this is because over a quarter of all people who text and drive believe they can multi task without affecting their driving at all. These people don't find out the truth of this statement until it is too late. Imagine a world where you can feel safe on the road a world without texting and driving. I feel that I have

Many teens and adults has a habit of texting while driving. This distracts the driver and can increase the chance of getting involved in an accident. Some people agree that it does not impact them very much, but texting and driving can lead to many consequences that those people will have to face. It all comes down to someone being involved in an accident for them to have a wake up call. Texting and driving is becoming more talked about over the years as the percent of deaths increases. Having an innocent person have their life taken away because of a person not waiting to respond to their phone is something that needs to be

Indeed, texting and driving is a growing problem in our country. According to Pascual-Ferrá, Liu and Beatty (2012), 25 percent of vehicular accidents, that is, 1.6 million accidents, every year can be attributed to cellphone use and texting while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also stated that “teens are six times more likely to crash while dialing a cellphone and 23 times more likely to crash while texting” (Mays, 2014). The reaction time of a person who is texting while driving becomes similar to that of a 70-year old who is driving without a cellphone (Mays, 2014). Pascual-Ferrá, Liu and Beatty (2012) also found that the effects of texting and

Texting while driving puts many driver’s lives in danger daily. Many people feel that staying connected to the outside world and answering a quick message is more important than focusing on the road ahead or saving lives by paying attention. It can harm others on the road who are doing nothing other than trying to make it to their destination safely, which is nothing you should ever be punished for. If people would open their eyes (and keep them on the road) to the dangers of texting while driving, car accidents take place every year would decline rapidly and the roads would be much safer to drive on. Distracted drivers need to know the position they put others in as well as themselves but unfortunately most of them don’t ever see what they’re

Driving is a serious thing, and texting while driving is not only a threaten to the drivers themselves but also a menace to the passengers and the pedestrians. According to Medical Daily, it is said that “The number of pedestrians and bicyclists who have been killed by distracted drivers has risen significantly in the past several years — up to 50 percent more in 2010 than in 2005”(http://www.medicaldaily.com/distracted-drivers-cause-pedestrian-deaths-rise-50-texting-talking-phone-or-eating-wheel-264077 ). The fatality rate of pedestrians killed by inattentive drivers is surprisingly and unfortunately increasing. The author also mentions in this article that texting while driving is a main distraction. Driving is a tremendous responsibility, but many drivers take on the responsibility lightly.

According to “Injury Prevention and Control: Motor Vehicle Safety”, when texting and driving you do not see what is going on around you because your eyes are on your phone, not the road. Your eyes can only be off the road for a maximum time of three seconds before your chance of a crash doubles, and it takes five seconds to send a short text. Texting and driving makes the chances of a crash more likely than a person not texting and driving. Almost eighty percent of all crashes involve texting and driving, sometimes called distracted driving, and at any given moment there are 6,600 people texting and driving. You do not want to be driving around any of those 6,600 people, for a wreck could happen at any time, and you could be seriously injured or killed.

Texting and Driving is a huge issue all across of America. According to NCBI, “Cellphones and the practice of sending and receiving text messages while behind the wheel was responsible for 3,179 deaths and 431,000 injuries in the United States in 2014 alone”(Official, 2016) Unfortunately, these numbers are bound to rise unless texting and driving is banned in every state in America.

Do you remember what your mom said when you got your first car? Besides “Wear your seatbelt!” or “Don’t speed!” She probably also said “Don’t text and drive!” Texting and driving is dangerous, and kills thousands every year. There are many things that make it dangerous. First of all, it is one of the leading causes of car accidents and fatalities today. Second of all, it takes your attention off of the road Third of all, not only do you put yourself in danger but others as well.

The need to regulate the use of cell phones, in any capacity, while driving is vital to halting this dangerous behavior. The article, “It’s dum 2 txt while u drive,” reports “Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that nearly 6,000 people were killed last year in accidents caused by distracted drivers. And 515,000 people were injured” (08A). Though this article focuses on the dangers of texting while driving, the statistics regarding distracted drivers, including those using cell phones in other capacities, are staggering. The logical thing to do is to ban their use, period, while driving. The article, “Driving Us to Distraction” reports, “research is beginning to show that driving while simply talking on a cell phone – including using hands-free technology – can prove dangerous, even deadly” (45-46). The article goes on to report unsettling results from a simulator study held by David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah. “Participants in one of Strayer’s simulator studies were faster to brake and caused fewer crashes when they had a .08 percent blood-alcohol content than while sober and talking on a cell phone” (45-46). The results imply that simply talking on a cell phone while

“In Ontario alone, more than 235,000 distracted driving charges have been laid in the past three years, And a recent study reported that one-third of all young drivers (Grades 10 to 12) admitted to texting while driving at least once in the past year.” (Verwey, "Dealer's Voice: Distracted Driving Bigger Killer than Drunk Driving"). Texting And driving related deaths and injuries grew significantly in 2014. Software, makers are really working hard to develop cell phone applications that block texts or minimize the distraction of texting. Also, there are applications in cell phones that reward the driver for not touching the phone or responding to messages. Texting and driving negatively impacts society by causing wrecks, injuries, and even loss of life. The laws of the states and the government are both trying to solve the issue as well as software developers and companies such as Samsung and Verizon. Technology and stricter laws are needed to minimize texting and driving accidents and related deaths effectively. That is why texting and driving negatively impacts a society as a whole. Texting and driving does not necessarily mean you are going to get in a wreck, but texting while driving is a risky behavior that negatively impacts society; therefore, people should not text while driving, there should be laws passed to enforce no texting while driving, and companies should create software to encourage and stop people from texting while driving.

“The only time you should text and drive is when what you have to say is more important than your very life.”(Anonymous) Did you know that the leading injuries and deaths are caused by a person texting while driving? According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2012 and 2013 more than 10 percent was caused by distracted driving (Felix and Dixit 57). With 2 out of every 10 teenagers and 1 out of every 10 adults focused on lengthy text messages while they’re behind the wheel, our roads are packed with drivers who are virtually blind (Felix and Dixit 59). Texting while driving has a higher risk of crashing into another car or something rather than a person who is intoxicated. Every day, distracted driving kills 9 and injures over a thousand people (James par.3). Every time you reach for the phone, tap a button or punch in a number, or write out a text or email, you are three times more likely to get into a crash (Dixit and Felix 63). Distracted drivers experience what researchers call inattention blindness, like that of tunnel vision (Safety Council). Distracted drivers do not undertake their surrounding and the roadway (Safety Council). Every year, people are dying from texting and driving such as being ran over, and hit with another car. Throughout the years, texting and new technology is evolving and distracted driving is becoming more and more of an issue. The constant need to be in touch with everyone is putting their selves and other people who are sharing

Texting and driving is extremely dangerous and it is frequently done. Everyday almost nine people die in car accidents due to texting and driving. Driving while distracted can be looking away from the road, removing your hands away from the steering wheel, or even thinking about something irrelevant while driving. Texting and driving has to do with removing hands from the steering wheel, looking at a phone and thinking about what your doing on the phone. People who decided not to pay attention while driving Caused around 3,477 people to die and 391,000 to be injured in 2015. People who text while driving causes over a thousand people to get hurt everyday. Texting and driving has been fought, but still continues to happen everyday. Safe drivers are being punished everyday for the recklessness and carelessness of texting and driving. (“Motor Vehicle Safety”).

“A call or text isn’t worth taking a life,” said Oprah Winfrey during a campaign to increase awareness about the threats of driving and texting at the same time (“Texting while Driving,” 2010, p. 5). Thousands of people die annually due to car accidents in the United States. The saddest thing is that most of them are innocent victims of someone who decides to send text messages while driving a deadly weapon. Raising public awareness of how dangerous it is to drive distracted is a duty of American government. Also, measures need to be done throughout the country to decrease car accidents and the promote general welfare. Therefore, the United States should ban texting while driving because this behavior poses a grave threat to the safety of American citizens and the ban does not infringe American’s freedom.

Have you ever been in a car in which the driver is distracted looking at his or her phone or have your ever been this distracted driver? Well, if you answered yes to any of this two questions, I am glad that you are still here and reading this. As stated by Aristotle in one of his books about politics and philosophy, he gives this definition of human being: “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human…” ("Politics Quotes," n.d.). By that he means that we have the constant need to communicate and thanks to the new technologies and advances, this is becoming easier, faster, and dangerous. Texting is probably the easiest way to communicate now but also the deadliest one. By mixing driving and texting you can put not only your life but someone else’s life in danger therefore you should avoid this under any circumstance.