Why Is Texting While Driving Important?

It limits your response to someone crossing the street, whether if its a child, an adult, or a group of teens. When you text and drive there is "less time to response to a roadway danger" (Hang up and drive). When having less time to respond to something in the road while texting and driving it may lead to many accidents and deaths. The usage of your phone while driving causes a dangerous environment to the people around you on the road. Staying off your phone prevents anyone including yourself from getting hurt. Texting while driving causes many dangers risking all walks of life. You never know what to expect on the road so one should be aware of their surroundings at all

Nearly nine in 10 teenage drivers have engaged in distracted driving even though they know that their actions increase their risk of getting into a car accident (Copeland). Drivers know that what they do is unacceptable but they still do it. Distracted driving is any activity that can distract a person’s attention away from driving (“Facts and Statistics”). Distracted driving can include changing the radio station, texting, eating, looking at an advertisement at the side of the road, or talking on the phone. There has been an issue in whether tougher laws are needed for distracted driving. To most people, tougher laws will make drivers not drive and be distracted because there will be a major consequence to it. Even though tougher laws will help some individuals,

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

A simple glance of a text on a cell phone can cause dangerous circumstances to oneself and to others. During this circumstance, a person’s mental state is changed. “The average text takes about five second to send. Traveling at 55 mph, that’s like going the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed,” (Held). The mindset of a person who is texting while driving are not realizing that they are driving but are just thinking about that text that they’ve received. They’re eyes are off the road and on their phone which automatically causes immediate situations. Along with their eyes not on the road, their hands are no longer on the wheel but on the keypad of their device. In the fact of these mental states of a driver, consequences are quickly met. Consequences include jail time, fines and fees similar to drinking and driving. “The severity of punishments increases

Distracted driving is equivalent to the use of cell phones, laptops, games in the car, the use of radio system including an intense conversation with a passenger. Certainly the habit of using cell phones associated texting and driving is the worst distraction and cause thousands of deaths each year around the United State. Most states in the United States have begun to create different types of laws against this kind, but so far these laws have not been effective. According to the Department of Transportation studies in only 4 states (CA, LA, MN and WA) it showed that the low-level laws implementation against texting and driving contributed to an increase in the statistics of accidents and deaths attributed to texting and driving (2014 p. 1). The Department of Transportation states that this increase in numbers is associated to those people that have chosen to avoid being seen went using their electronic devices looking away for much longer after the laws was imposed, this cause major incidents on the road. In these same studies conducted by the Department of Transportation indicate that the implementation of more stringent laws decreased the number of accidents and deaths caused by texting and driving.

In the past ten years, texting and driving has become a major issue on U.S. roads. The problem has increased as smartphones have become more affordable and accessible (Full Coverage Auto Insurances). Even though 95% of drivers would agree that texting and driving is wrong, 71% of people admit to texting and driving (It Can Wait). Distracted driving is driving a vehicle while engaging in an activity that has the potential to distract the driver from the task of driving (Dictionary.com). Distracted driving is detrimental in today’s society; therefore, we need to apply some safety features that will keep everyone protected at all times. There are many helpful solutions to this problem like apps and features for

Every day in the United States around one out of ten people are killed by distracted drivers, and around 1500 are injured in some way in crashes by these irresponsible, distracted drivers. One of the most dangerous, distracting activities that many people do is texting while driving. It is extremely dangerous because people who do this are putting more attention in texting, and they take their eyes off the road while they are driving, which increases the chance that the driver can lose the control of the vehicle, and could cause a crash or even in a worst case could kill other people. When a person is texting, she/he is thinking about other things besides concentrating on driving. This is very dangerous because it could make the driver lose

In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that “8 people are killed and 1,161 are injured daily in the United States” (CDC). At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010 (DMV). Further supporting the fact that cell phones have become such a precious commodity that it is hard to imagine everyday life without them. Cell phones alone aren’t the problem, but when you add the cell phone plus a vehicle into the mix it’s just not possible to safely reach your destination. When you are operating a motor vehicle the task requires a person’s full mental capacity, so when a person is using their phone and driving they’re splitting their focus onto two separate task. “Among the various forms of distracted driving, texting stands out as particularly dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction, requiring the driver to take his eyes off the road, remove at least one hand from the steering wheel and take his mind off the task of driving” (Gormley 91).

Many states prohibit texting while driving. In fact, laws have been established that prevent drivers from using their cell phone unless it is an emergency. About 73% of drivers say it is easy to text and drive, however 1.3 million car crashes are caused by texting and driving. An effort to band texting and driving in Texas is at limbo in the Senate and was one vote shy of having enough members agree to bring it to the floor. (Tinsley 1) Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo states that they are so very close and will prevent death, injuries and reduce property damage. Furthermore, she finds it difficult to believe that anyone is opposed to this. Some of the statistics of texting and driving: approximately 660,000 drivers are using cellular phones while driving. Unites States’ drivers are reported as 20% of teens using the cell phone and 10% adults using cell phones while driving. Driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (Distracted Driving 1) The Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood states distracted driving is a deadly epidemic. The most recent survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center shows just how widespread it is in almost 2/3 of the survey respondents had seen drivers in vehicles texting or on the cell in the previous 30days. Almost, 94% had observed motorist talking on a hand held phone. (Driving distracted 1) There are many

Texting while driving is 6 times as likely to get you involved in a collision on the road than drinking while driving. Even simple tasks draw a driver’s focus from the driving lane, which could be deadly. Using various forms of technology with hands on the wheel divides the driver's attention and could cause lethal collisions. Although to teens and young adult drivers, texting could be done safely if knowing when to text in the “right time” while driving, it distracts the driver’s attention from the driving lane and could cause fatal accidents and possible deadly injuries.

In a 2009 study, VTTI found that, “Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field…blindfolded” (Data). Drivers may encounter any number of unexpected hazards in those five seconds, resulting in a car accident, serious injury, or death, but still people use their phones dangerously. Distracted driving due to cell phone use is widely practiced by all ages of drivers, many of whom do not take warnings seriously. Automakers are teaming up with cell phone companies to address the problem, but aren’t seeing much success. There are three strategies that should be used to minimize the habit of texting

How much longer will we have to endure the pain of a careless distracted driver who crashed into a loved one? Is the text you just received while driving that important? Can’t it wait 5 minutes? There isn’t any text that is worth the price of endangering your life, and the life’s around you. And because of those who text while driving, texting and driving has now surpassed drunk driving by being the number one cause of the deaths for drivers. Americans now in days are hooked on their phones, and while driving, can cause serious consequences.

Distracted driving is just as dangerous as drinking and driving. We’ve all been schooled in the dangers of drinking and driving, but no one really thinks about the effects texting has on a person behind the wheel. A comparison shows that, “The relative risk of being in a traffic accident while using a cellphone is similar to the hazard associated with driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit.” (Crouch, 2006) The use of mobile phones by drivers may cause about 2,600 deaths, 330,000 moderate to critical injuries, 240,000 minor injuries and 1.5 million instances of property damage in the U.S. each year. (“Higher risk of traffic fatalities linked to cellphone use,”2002). At highway speeds, we can travel the length of a football field in the time it takes us to send a

Driving in general can be hazardous. Driving and having such a distraction as a cell phone at ear, or ringing somewhere in a car, is ten times more dangerous. Not surprisingly, drivers who use a cell phone while driving perceive cell phone use by others as less of a threat to their safety as do non-users. A huge number of accidents caused by talking on a cell phone. During the last 5 years texting has become insanely popular. It’s a great and convenient tool because people don’t have to call person to just say ‘ok’ on that dinner invitation. The worst part is that many people still think that texting while driving just that ‘ok’ is ok. Unfortunately, even with traffic police enforcing those ‘no cellphone’ laws, individuals still neglect those simple safety concerns. People need to start understanding themselves how dangerous it is.

Texting and Driving is a distraction and there are many causes for texting and driving in the U.S. For any problem there is a cause and texting and driving is caused by a few main factors. Twenty years ago the issue of texting and driving would cease to exist, the addiction that people have to their phones is new to society (“Facts About Texting and Driving”). Numerous people are not aware that this addiction can be harmful to themselves or other people. Various states may not be educating their drivers on what the effects of texting while driving actually are and how fatal they can be. It is important for drivers to see how texting while driving may affect other people; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration brings attention to that, ”The risky behavior poses a danger to vehicle